Kaikamahines of Five-0
by obsessive360
Summary: (AU) Steve McGarrett received a call from his father's house moments after he heard Victor Hesse pull the trigger. In other words, Steve has a daughter Grace's age. Quickly becoming best friends, these two girls are the linchpins of their ohana. This is the story of their family. This is the story of the Daughters of Five-0. (This will be McDanno; R&R)
1. An Ohana Forms

**A/N: I don't own** _ **Hawaii Five-0**_ **and this is my first _Hawaii Five-0_ story** **. So, in this universe I am slowly, but surely, crafting, there was someone else in the McGarrett house the day Victor Hesse shot John. Her name is Moana "Ana" Rose McGarrett. Ana is highly intelligent, highly perceptive, and highly adorable; how could she not be, seeing as who her father is. How can her mere existence change the course of history for the Five-0 team? Yes, this will be AU, quite obviously! R &R!**

It had all started as a perfectly normal day for the McGarrett family. John McGarrett was in his kitchen, washing up after breakfast; his son Steve, a Navy SEAL, was away on a mission that involved capturing the terrorist duo that was the Hesse brothers; and Moana McGarrett, only eight years old, was upstairs getting ready to go to school. That was when the front door was forced open.

Moana heard the yelling, the sounds of a struggle, and John's worried voice calling out to the intruders to leave. When John's voice became slightly muffled, the little girl decided to take refuge in her closet. It was impossible to tell how long she had been in hiding, but Moana knew she was safer staying inside her closet than anywhere else at the moment. She heard the intruders talking, saying to call Steve. There came a brief sound of numbers being dialed on John's cell phone, and then Moana heard half of the conversation between the intruders and the McGarrett men.

In the middle of the conversation, she heard a thump. Then, the intruders kept asking each other what happened, why was Steve no longer on the phone, etcetera. The beeping of a phone was heard again, and Moana held her breath. Within two minutes, she heard it. A single gunshot went off, and she knew what had happened. Tears slipped down her face as she heard the intruders, men by the sounds of their voices, leave the house.

As soon as she heard the front door close again, a car drive off, and an overwhelming silence develop, Moana ran across the hall and into John's bedroom. As quickly, and shakily, as possible, she pressed the "Speaker Phone" button and dialed the same phone number the men had: Steve's. He answered quickly.

 _"Dad?",_ he asked hopefully.

"No, Daddy, it's me! The men who broke in shot Grandpa! He's dead, isn't he? Please come home, Daddy! I'm scared! What if they come back?", her voice was almost as shaky as her hands, and Steve felt his heart begin to break.

 _"Ana, oh God, what time is it there? Shouldn't you be at school?",_ he asked, and the child looked up at the clock on the nightstand.

"The clock says it's noon; school was closed today because a pipe burst in the main building. I don't want to be here without you, Daddy! I want you to come home instead! I want- Someone's here!", Moana answered through her streams of tears.

 _"Nai'a, it's probably the police. I want you to go with them, be careful, and do not look into the living room. I'll get home as soon as possible, and we'll be together again. I love you so much, baby girl, and I promise you I'll be home soon. Go to your room and pack everything you think you might need for the next few days, because we'll have to be out of the house for a while. I'm so sorry you had to be there when this happened, my little nai'a.",_ Steve told her softly, a plan already forming in his mind.

"Why did they have to shoot Grandpa, Daddy? Why?", the small girl cried, not noticing the blond man in the doorway holding a picture frame.

 _"I wish I had an answer for that, baby girl. I really wish I did. I'll see you when I get home in a few hours, but I really need to go if I'm going to get on the plane. I wish this had never happened, Ana, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure these men never hurt you or anyone else ever again.",_ and Steve's hardened SEAL heart finally and fully broke wide open as he heard his daughter's cries.

"Come home soon, Daddy! Please?", Moana hiccupped slightly as she spoke.

 _"I'll be home this afternoon, baby girl. I promise!",_ Steve told her gently.

"I love you, Daddy.", the eight year old said in barely a whisper.

 _"I love you too, my nai'a. A hui hou.",_ her father replied, speaking in the language native to their home.

"A hui hou, Daddy!", Moana repeated before ending her call, tears still cascading down her tanned face.

"You're John McGarrett's granddaughter, aren't you?", the blond man in the doorway asked at this time.

"Yes, Sir. Are you a police officer?", she asked, turning her wide, turquoise eyes on him.

"I am a police officer. I'm Detective Danny Williams. Is there anyone you can stay with until your dad gets here?", the blond asked, setting the picture frame in his hands down on the nearby dresser.

"Detective Williams, Daddy told me to pack up everything I'll for the time we'll have to be out of the house and to go with the police officers until his plane lands and he picks me up this afternoon. He's already on his way home.", Moana answered glumly.

"How did he already know something happened to your grandpa?", Danny asked, and the child tried to wipe her eyes as she spoke.

"The men who broke into the house called Daddy and had him on the phone when they shot Grandpa. The men broke in this morning, but it took hours before they called Daddy. I hid in my closet until I heard them leave, then I came in here and called Daddy. He needs to come home and stop trying to be Superman before I lose him too!", and a fresh wave of tears washed over the girl, and Danny sat down on the bed and pulled the crying girl into his arms.

"Hey, dry those tears, because it'll be alright. I'm sure your dad will come home for good real soon. How could he leave again knowing you're all alone? I have a daughter too, and I couldn't imagine leaving her if she was all alone! Then again, Grace is a bit of a troublemaker, so I might not want to leave her alone anyway, right?", Danny's remarks seemed to help Moana a little bit, as she giggled.

"Detective Williams, may I stay with you until Daddy gets home?", her timid voice asked in a mild whisper, and Danny knew he could not say no to the crying girl.

"Of course you can, sweetheart, as soon as you tell me your name.", he answered, and she let out a giggle.

"It's Moana, Moana Rose McGarrett. My name means 'Ocean' in Hawaiian. Most people call me 'Ana', and Daddy calls me his nai'a, which means dolphin. He says it's because I swim like a fish underwater, but I, in the span of a few minutes, have to repeatedly come up for air like a dolphin does.", Moana rattled everything off to Danny, and he smiled at the grin that appeared on the girl's face as she spoke of her beloved father.

"Okay then, Ana, let's go and pack your things.", and that's how Danny ended up placing two turquoise colored suitcases into the back seat of his car before driving Moana to the precinct.

During the drive, Danny found himself being educated on the ways of Hawaii by the eight year old beside him.

"You know, Detective Williams, no one on this island will take you seriously as long as you wear a tie. People only wear ties around here on formal occasions, if then.", little Ana stated as she observed what her, in her opinion, new friend was wearing.

"Really?", he asked, though he had heard this before from his partner Meka.

"Yes, really. Here, we're all pretty laid back. Only the private school kids really wear uniforms, and when we're not out and about for work or school, most of us just wear comfortable clothes. Even Daddy, when he's home on leave, wears cool clothes like cargo pants or shorts, flip flops, and t-shirts. I know this how you dressed when you were back in New Jersey; but I hate to break it to you, Toto, you're not in New Jersey anymore; it doesn't usually get too cold here.", if Danny had expected that out of an eight year old, he would have had to have been a psychic.

"How do you know so much about me?", he asked her, and Ana sighed faintly.

"Grandpa knew Governor Jameson. She was going to create a task force to handle major crimes, like serial killers and terror threats, on the island; she asked Grandpa for help, as he knew the police department pretty well and could help create a list of possible candidates for forming this task force. Grandpa made a few calls, got a hold of the records of a decent number of current and former officers, and he picked out two files that he thought had some chance of being a helpful member of the task force. One belonged to my adoptive uncle, Chin-Ho Kelley. The other file was yours, Detective.", Danny was floored.

"Really? What would I be doing on this task force, little lady?", he asked, and she grinned.

"Grandpa felt that the task force would need something a little extra to make it at least look more threatening than Honolulu PD, so he was planning on attempting to get Daddy to be a part of it also. You two were going to be partners and the team's co-leaders; Uncle Chin would be the third member of your team. Grandpa planned on letting you three choose any other members on your own as needed. This task force was also supposed to have complete immunity and unlimited resources, too! Before you ask, I learned to listen on the second handset upstairs whenever Grandpa was on the phone when I was five years old.", Danny was impressed with just how resourceful and eloquent the eight year old was, but he was amazed at the same time that he was supposed to be a foil to a Navy SEAL on a task force that dealt with things that were majorly above his paygrade.

"Now _that_ sounds cool. Not only would I get to keep the island, and therefore my daughter, even safer, but you would also have your dad home with you!", Danny said, and Ana giggled at his slightly muted enthusiasm and attempts at making her pain decrease.

"I think that was Grandpa's plan for Daddy all along. Neither one of us liked Daddy being so far way for such a long time, nor is it a secret that Daddy hates not being at every milestone I have. Again, I eavesdrop on phone conversations, even though I shouldn't.", at least he could tell that the girl was honest.

"So what you're saying, going back to the original statement you made, is that if I want to be on that task force with your dad and adoptive uncle _and_ get taken seriously by the criminals I arrest, I have to quit wearing ties to work? I'll think about it.", Danny told her, and Ana smiled.

At least he said he would think about it. Most people ignored her advice, no matter how sound it was. It was just a fact of eight year old life.

About two hours later, Danny sat at his desk with Ana; the two of them were looking at something on his computer, and Danny was growing frustrated. Ana, on the other hand, was barely controlling her laughter.

"You need to understand the language in order to live here, Detective Williams! These are just basic phrases from _Lilo & Stitch_!", she told him, and the blond detective shook his head.

"Spanish was never this difficult! Do you have to make this look so easy when we all know it isn't?", he responded, though he was grinning at her.

"Well, I've been on this island my entire eight years of life, and Daddy was born and raised here. Maybe we should slow down a little more, purely for your benefit. Have you ever actually watched _Lilo & Stitch_?", Ana asked, and Danny shook his head.

"Grace may have seen it with her mother, but I never even had the tiniest fleeting thought about Hawaii until I found out that moving here was the only way I'd get to see my daughter. I have no clue how your dad can go so long without seeing you, Ana.", he answered, neither one noticing Danny's partner and another detective approaching them.

"Williams, call just came in. There's someone on the McGarrett property, and we haven't released the scene.", the second detective told Danny before realizing Ana was there.

"That can't be good. Meka, watch her for me; this is Moana McGarrett, and she is to stay here until her father gets here or I get back.", Danny said as he turned to look at each person he spoke to before getting down on Ana's level. "Ana, I promise I'll be back as soon as I can. Like I said, until your dad gets back, you can stay with me; but, I need to make sure no one is trying to get into your house and mess with any remaining evidence. Do you understand that?"

"I understand, Detective Williams. Would it be alright if I used your computer to look up some things that might help you while you're on the island?", Ana responded calmly, and Danny smiled at the little girl he had come to actually admire; she was so much like his Grace, in that she was intelligent and eager to help someone she saw to be in need; other little girls were not as considerate and compassionate as Moana McGarrett and Grace Williams, Danny thought.

"Go right ahead, Ana. Just be careful about what sites you click on.", and with that, Danny made his way out to his car, the two turquoise suitcases still in the back seat.

Steve McGarrett was in the garage of his childhood home, deciding he needed to get down to the bottom of whatever his dad had wanted him to know as soon as possible. His daughter was safe, for the time being, so he would definitely need to work at top speed. Normally, Steve would have waited until after the funeral to investigate; but he would be lacking in time once he had Moana with him.

Getting into the house, finding what his dad was trying to tell him to look for, and getting to wherever his daughter had been taken by the police was all he had been counting on. It was the blond man who entered the garage, while Steve was looking through the tool box with a "Champ" sticker that he had discovered, that he had not counted on encountering.

"Honolulu PD, put the tool box down.", Danny said calmly.

"This is- _was_ my father's house. It's mine now, therefore, this is mine too.", Steve said just as calmly, and Danny's entire demeanor changed.

"I want to believe you. Show me some ID to prove it, Lt. Commander.", Danny said, and Steve huffed slightly before pulling out his ID.

"Are you happy now?", he asked, and Danny rolled his eyes.

"At this point, I'm satisfied at best. I had to move here from New Jersey just to get extremely limited visitation with my eight year old daughter. Sorry, forget about that. Ignore my attitude; I'm naturally sarcastic. No, that's good; I just didn't want to hand Ana over to anyone other than her father. In the picture I found of you with her, she was just a baby, and you've changed a bit since then. Can't let yourself be wrong when a child's safety may be at stake and everything.", Steve's demeanor changed the second Danny mentioned Ana.

"You've got my daughter?", he asked.

"I found her in the master bedroom while she was still on the phone with you. She's spent the last few hours trying to educate me on how to get the people around her to take me seriously. That's quite the girl you've got, McGarrett, so I'd try to keep her as close as possible for as long as you can. If I could have my daughter with me full time, I'd do it in a heartbeat.", Danny answered, unable to keep the smile off his face as thoughts of both his daughter and the little girl he had only met a few hours prior flitted through his mind.

"I don't think I have much of a choice now. I called my sister, and she doesn't plan on coming into town for the funeral; it's looking like the Reserves for me, after all.", Steve said, but then Danny cleared his throat.

"Look, I know you've had a really horrible day, but this is still my crime scene. You'll need to leave the tool box here, unless you have another way of taking over the case…", Danny left his statement open for interpretation, and Steve looked at him oddly.

"You know about Governor Jameson's task force, don't you?", Steve asked, and Danny just smirked.

" _You_ don't know, do you? Your dad was essentially the recruiter for the task force; he wanted the team to be made up of you and me as co-leaders. I would balance you out with proper police procedural techniques, and you would be a bit, okay, a lot more of muscle than it is possible for me to be. Our third member was supposed to be Chin-Ho Kelly; Ana referred to him as 'Uncle Chin' if I recall correctly. In case you're confused, because I was at this point, Ana says she learned to use the handset not in use to listen in on your dad's phone conversations when she was five.", the blond detective gave an answer that the SEAL had not been anticipating, but it gave him an idea.

"Let me just make a quick call to the Governor, and we can do just that; well, we can do that if you want to. If you don't want to be on the task force, Chin and I can probably handle it ourselves.", Danny raised an eyebrow at Steve.

"There's no way I'm not going to be a part of this! Your dad apparently felt that you would need me to do this, and I've already told Ana I thought it was a cool idea. I don't think I have the heart to go back on my word with her.", now it was Steve's turn to raise an eyebrow as he dialed the number Governor Jameson had given him.

"I really hope you don't regret this and blame my daughter.", was the last thing the Hawaiian said to the New Jersian before his call was answered.

None of the detectives or officers in the vicinity of Danny's desk knew what was going on. One minute, the McGarrett girl was scanning through several online Hawaiian dictionaries; the next, her head had snapped up faster than lighting and her ears twitched like a rabbit's. She took off at a relatively leisurely pace, but it was clear she knew where she was going. Seemingly distracted by the little girl, the detectives and officers watched as she broke into a run as she entered the prescient's lobby.

"Daddy!", she called out, and the tall man, the one who they all realized had entered with the newly returned Danny, caught her and twirled her around in one fluid motion before clutching her to his chest.

"I told you I'd be here this afternoon, nai'a. Guess who we're having dinner with tonight? I think you'll be happy!", Steve said as he placed a kiss to the top of his daughter's head.

"Uncle Chin?", she responded, and Steve nodded.

"I called him on the way here. I have to tell him about his new job assignment, courtesy of the governor. Of course, Detective Williams will also be there. After talking with him, I can only hope that you've figured out what's going on by now.", he told her quietly, and Ana turned her gaze on Danny.

"You accepted the offer? Welcome to our ohana, Uncle Danny!", she cheered, and Danny felt the smile stretching across his face as the new title was thrust upon him; perhaps Ana and Grace would become friends, he mused to himself as he accepted the hug the little girl was now giving him after she had wriggled out of her father's arms.

That night, sitting in one of the various restaurants at the hotel Steve and Moana were staying at until the McGarrett house was cleared, the rather unlikely group of four sat at a table in the back. Dinner was over, for the most part, with Ana the only one still eating. While the eight year old munched happily on her coconut cake, the three men sipped on their mugs of coffee.

"Steve, dinner was nice, but why am I really here?", Chin asked as he set his mug down in front of him on the table.

"I should preface this whole thing by saying I asked Danny to look into why you weren't still on the Force. Did you take the money?", Steve replied in a whisper.

"No. Now what is all of this about?", Chin answered firmly.

"Why don't we let the resident spy tell you what's going on?", Danny said to Steve, who nodded in agreement, and the two men turned to Ana.

"What, me? Okay, Daddy, Uncle Danny. Governor Jameson wanted to start a task force to take on serial killers and terror threats to Hawaii; she called Grandpa about a month ago and asked him to use any and all of his old police contacts to create a group of possible candidates to serve of this task force. I would eaves drop on Grandpa's conversations with Governor Jameson whenever he used the house phone. He told her three names of people he thought could work together, balance each other out, and be effective in the way the task force should be. There was a fourth spot available, but Grandpa told Governor Jameson that his three picks, should they all accept, needed to pick the fourth person themselves. That way, everyone would be able to get along with his or her teammates. Uncle Chin, Grandpa picked you, Uncle Danny, and Daddy to form the Governor's task force.", Ana said after swallowing her last bite of coconut cake.

"I've already accepted, as has Danny. He's my partner and co-leader of the team. So, what do you say, Chin? I could use someone as good as you on my-our team.", one look from Ana and Danny combined made Steve correct himself with a laugh.

"Okay, I'm in. Now, how should we go about finding our fourth member?", the oldest of the three men finally said, and Ana was the first to come up with an answer.

"Maybe you should add a woman to the team? I think female victims of assaults and robberies might react better to a female officer.", she said with more intelligence than most eight year olds possessed.

"Now, who do I blame for the list of vocabulary words I doubt any average eight year old girl would know?", Danny asked with a small smile.

"Well, Uncle Danny, I'd say you'd have to blame Grandpa and Daddy both.", Ana giggled in reply, and the three men began chuckling along with her.

"On that note, as the bill has been taken care of, I think it's time we say goodnight.", Steve said as the laughter died down; that was what they did.

By Wednesday afternoon, two days later, John McGarrett's funeral had happened, the task force had begun to establish a headquarters at Aliʻiōlani Hale, and Steve had already gotten Danny shot once; he had also twisted Danny's arm behind his back, and Danny retaliated by punching Steve in the face. They had made up once they met up with Chin. It was early in the afternoon, so Ana was still at school; for that, Danny was grateful. He would have hated for the highly intelligent girl to have watched him go off on her father. Of course, Steve's next trick of getting Danny roped into wearing an oversized t-shirt and eating shave ice only angered the blond cop more.

"Is this was being your partner is going to get me, being both shot at and forced to wear ridiculous clothing?", he asked Steve in a whisper as Chin made his way over towards them from where he had been trying to get a name out of his former confidential informant, Kamekona.

"How many times am I going to have to apologize to you? Danny, I never meant for you to get shot. Perhaps I should have apologized sooner, but I've apologized at least thirty, maybe thirty-five times in the last two hours! I think it may be time to let it go for today.", Steve responded, but Danny never got the chance to reply to him, as Chin had finally reached them and Steve had started talking again. "You better have a name."

Back at Headquarters, Chin told the other two what Kamekona had told him. The head of the human trafficking industry on the island was a man by the name of Sang Min.

"Okay, say he is how Hesse got into the country. He still has no reason to tell us anything. How do we get him to talk?", Danny asked.

"We do a simple bait and trap. We send in an undercover with a wire.", Steve offered, but Chin shook his head.

"That might work on the mainland, brah, but we're on an island with less than a million people. This means that the bad guys know the good guys; we need to look for our bait outside of the box.", he countered, though he was smiling.

"And I take it you've already got a guy in mind?", Steve responded, and Danny tried to appear hopeful that the plan would work.

"Oh yeah. I have a cousin who still talks to me that may be willing to help us. Don't worry about being late to pick Ana up, Steve, because she'll already be there.", was Chin's mysterious answer that left Danny more puzzled than before.

"That's your cousin?", Danny asked as they stood on the beach and observed a young woman surfing.

"Choose you next words carefully, both of you.", Chin warned as a soaking wet projectile launched itself at Steve.

"Daddy!", it was Ana, and she had a child's sized surf board on the ground behind her.

"Hey there, nai'a. What are you doing here?", he asked before turning to Chin.

"Grandpa said I could start learning the basics of surfing when I turned eight. I'm eight now, and Aunt Kono's been teaching me how to surf since then. Wednesdays, she picks me up from school, and we usually practice on our private beach; but, at least until the police tape comes down, Aunt Kono and I moved practice here. It's a little crowded, but I'm going to have to surf around people eventually, right?", Ana answered as Chin's cousin wiped out.

"We've talked several times since your birthday, yet I knew nothing about this. Why didn't you tell me you were learning to surf, baby girl? I'm so proud of you!", Steve gushed, and Danny smiled at the sight of a proud father and his daughter; not that he planned on letting his Grace learn how to surf anytime soon, mind you.

"Yeah, Kono's good at teaching. She was on the pro-circuit for three years before she blew out her knee. The kid was devastated; she had to re-invent herself and decided to wear a badge. Unfortunately, she's family; so, HPD will never take her seriously." Chin began, but Ana was quick to jump in.

"She graduates from the academy next week!", the girl said excitedly.

"Are you sure she's ready for this. She doesn't have any street experience.", but Steve's words were meaningless as Kono punched out the guy who had caused her to wipe out in the first place, then she saw the four on the beach.

"Cousin! Ana, just because you saw me punch someone does not mean it was the right thing to do, are we clear?", she said as she approached them, and Ana nodded.

"You had it, Water Woman!", Chin said as he hugged her tightly.

"Ah, waste! First good pipe of the season!", she lamented.

"Tourists, what are you gonna do?", Chin added before introducing his new team/friends to his cousin. "This is Commander Steve McGarrett, this little keiki's father; and this is Detective Danny Williams."

Steve was sure to complement her surfing, Ana clung to her father's side, and Danny gave her a warm smile while shaking her hand a bit longer than necessary. Once he let go, at Chin's insistence and Ana's giggling, Danny looked back over at Steve. He knew already what that look meant. The SEAL started talking to Kono.

"Your cousin and my daughter say you're graduating from the academy next week. How would you like to earn a little extra credit before you do?", Kono smiled.

"I'm listening.", and Ana was excited; she felt her Aunt Kono would be the perfect fourth member of the new task force.

Once the group had returned to the team's headquarters and Kono had agreed to act as bait for Sang Min, Steve decided it was time to take Ana home; or well, he planned on taking Ana back to the hotel they had been staying in. He had the crime tape taken down, but Ana was still not ready to go back inside the house. It scared her to know that someone had been able to get inside her one safe-haven. Danny had been quick to pick up on that.

"Thank you, Kono, really. I can't speak for Steve completely, but I understand how bad he wants to catch Hesse.", he said to her quietly as he watched Steve take Ana out to Danny's car.

"How bad are we talking, because I know that he said the governor said the team has full immunity?", Kono asked, and Danny frowned.

"As far as I can tell, Ana has never known her mother. There are no pictures of her anywhere in the McGarrett house, not even in Ana's room. Based on the photographs that _are_ there, Steve was in the US Naval Reserve for the first three years of Ana's life. He was with Naval Intelligence before (and technically after) that, and he's been a SEAL for at least the last five. I haven't had time to get the most accurate information, but I plan on finding out eventually. When Hesse broke into John McGarrett's home, tied him up, and shot him at point-blank range, he did more than take away Steve's father. Victor Hesse endangered the life of Steve's daughter, and that is one thing that no father ever wants to happen to his child. If someone did anything like that to _my_ eight year old daughter, Grace, I'd hunt them to the end of time as long as I knew I would have the pleasure of scaring them just as much as she was before I ensure he gets the proper punishment.", Danny explained firmly, and Kono felt the hairs on the backs of her arms stand on end.

"How has Ana been holding up, because she tried hiding her pain from me at our surfing practice? I love that kid, and I think _I_ may want to terrorize whoever hurt her.", Kono asked sadly.

"Steve said she's been clingy, fighting sleep, and all-around terrified Hesse and his men will come back for her when they realized they left a loose end behind. Being raised by a retired cop and a Navy SEAL gave her a sense of being untouchable, like no one was brave enough to mess with her family. Now, she's scared because someone broke that safety net she had in two. I have an idea that I'm going to tell Steve about in the car on how to help her, though.", he answered, and Kono thought it sounded as if Danny had a personal experience similar to Ana's.

"Who was it for you?", she asked gently.

"My uncles, well, one of my uncles. He was the reason I wanted to become a cop in the first place. My other uncle, his and my mom's brother, owned a pizzeria; I worked there when I was in high school, and I was there the day two guys tried to rob the place. Uncle Dom was behind the counter, kneading dough. Uncle Daniel, who my mother named me after, was sitting at the table nearest the kitchen, talking to me while he ate his lunch. As an officer of the law, he moved to stop the two guys. One of the guys had a gun, and he shot both of my uncles while his partner raided the cash register; Uncle Dom was hit in the shoulder, and that was only because he had his back to the two guys; but Uncle Daniel, he had been facing them, so he got hit in the chest. He was dead before the paramedics even got there. Uncle Dom survived, but he kept the doors on the place locked for a few months. When he first reopened, I couldn't make myself go through the front doors; I just kept expecting to walk in and see Uncle Daniel in the back booth eating his triple meat supreme slice he always had for lunch. Finally, Uncle Dom renovated the entire pizzeria dining room. After that, I was able to walk in and recognize the place, but I didn't feel like I was about to see Uncle Daniel anymore; I knew where I was, but it was like I was finally free from what I heard and saw that day. Groundhog Day had finally ended for me, and I think that's what Ana needs now.", Danny answered, desperately trying to keep his mind from wandering to the remainder of the memory of his uncle's death.

"Danny, we can't hang around here all night, you know!", Steve called out as he walked back into the room Danny and Kono were standing in.

"We won't. Kono and I just finished our conversation; if you care to know, she was asking how Ana was holding up. With you being out of the room, I am naturally the next person to ask because I was the one who got her out of the house and watched her until I got a call about someone breaking into the house.", Danny replied with an eye roll at the end of his statement.

"Sorry if I disturbed you being educated on the ways of Hawaii from my daughter, Danny. But, thanks, still, for taking care of her. You know, it's really no wonder she's so fond of you, as you happen to be her savior as far as she is concerned.", Steve countered again, and Kono chuckled at the way they bickered.

"She's a sweet kid; besides, I sort of know what she's going through. With your crazy ass being her father, she may need all the help she can get!", Danny teased as he turned to leave.

"Boys, just go take care of Ana. Wait, where is she?", Kono asked, not seeing the girl.

"She wanted to say good night to Chin before we left. I asked if she wanted to say good night to you, but Ana told me she already had.", Steve answered, and Kono smiled.

"Yeah, she did. Well, it's getting late, and I have a meeting with Sang Min in the morning. Good night, boys. Stay out of trouble!", she told them as she began walking away.

"The same could be said for you! Night!", Danny called after her.

"Good night, Kono!", Steve added as he laughed at her warning.

"C'mon, you maniac. Let's get you two back to the hotel; maybe you'll last the night without dangling anyone off the roof.", Danny said with a chuckle as he and Steve headed downstairs to where Ana and Chin were waiting.

"I told you I wasn't planning on dropping him! I'm a trained Navy SEAL, Danny!", Steve said with a roll of his eyes, and the two partners continued on down the hallway, laughing the entire time.

An hour later, Danny and Steve were sitting in the living room area of the Presidential Suite at the Kahala Hotel; Steve had gone to run a bath for Ana, and the little girl was gathering her pajamas, so Danny decided to check out the suite. He was impressed by the suite's sheer size and high-end furniture. The blond was so mesmerized by his surrounding, he barely registered his dark-haired partner reentering the room; the cogs in Steve's brain began turning as he saw the way Danny observed every small detail of the space. Given that everything went okay with Sang Min, he knew exactly how he was going to tell Danny he was sorry for getting him shot without actually saying the words to him ( _again_ ).

"Nice place.", Danny muttered, and Steve shook his head.

"Governor Jameson offered to put Ana and me up in a hotel until the house was in working order again, but this was a surprise to me when we first got here yesterday.", Steve said.

"Your house, now that's a subject I was hoping to talk to you about! Your house is fine the way it is for a normal house, but it's not fine for Ana.", the blond piped up, and the SEAL looked perplexed.

"Why?", he asked.

"I told Kono why I became a cop. My Uncle Daniel, who I am named for, was a cop; he was shot to death while trying to stop a robbery at my Uncle Dom's pizzeria. Uncle Dom was his little brother, so protecting him was something Uncle Daniel thought was his responsibility. Make that a double responsibility to stop the robbers, because it was almost time for the lunch rush. I was in the back, getting some of the pizza toppings out of the freezer when the guys entered. All I remember was hearing the shots, waiting for the bell on the door to go off again, and walking into the dining room to find Uncle Dom behind the counter with a bullet in his shoulder and Uncle Daniel on the other side of the counter with a bullet in his chest. Uncle Dom made it, Uncle Daniel didn't, and I couldn't walk into that dining room for a very long time. I'm afraid, because I have experience, that Ana might not be comfortable going home just yet. She'll walk in the front door and have a break down when she realizes that Grandpa John is gone and that's where it happened. Perhaps a renovation is in order?", Danny explained, and Steve raised an eyebrow.

"You think I should change the way it looks? How will changing her home help at all? Are you sure I'm the crazy one?", he rattled of the question Danny had anticipated, so the blond sighed before answering each one.

"Yes, it will help her because she won't associate a new look with gunshots or the man who cared for her being beaten and shot. Also, yes, I _am_ sure you're the crazy one in our partnership. Besides, I think you may need to let go of the past, things you can't change, and bring your house out of the shadow of decades past.", Steve went to reply as Danny's cell phone began blaring the funeral march.

Danny answered it, got into a mild argument with his ex-wife, and hung up with a huff. Steve rolled his eyes.

"I'm the one who needs to let go of the past.", he said sarcastically.

"What does that mean?", Danny asked incredulously.

"Have you ever heard yourself arguing with your ex? She divorced you; she moved your daughter out of, not just your home, but your entire home state; and she makes it to where you can barely ever even see your daughter. Yet, for some reason, you still seem to crave a relationship with her. Are you sure it isn't time to move on from, I think you said, Rachel?", Steve answered, and Danny huffed.

"What do you know? We have a child together, so there will always be a connection between us.", Danny replied, obviously in denial.

"What do I know? Having a child with someone means nothing unless you both accept responsibility for the child and you both grow up instead of trying to blame one another for reasons your relationship isn't working out.", Steve said, albeit a bit bitterly.

"And how do you know this?", Danny asked in the same tone as before.

"I know because of Ana's mother. Her name's Catherine Rollins, and she's a US Naval Lieutenant. I've known her for years, and we had been together, technically, for about a year when Ana was born. My dad had been hurt in the line of duty, and I was on leave so that I could take care of him until he was able to be on his own again; I was at home when she showed up with my newborn daughter. Catherine told me to either keep her or give her up, but she didn't want to raise a child. While I've been with her several times in the last eight years, I've never once actually told Catherine that I kept Ana.", Danny was in shock, Steve was letting out a lot of his misplaced aggression, and Ana was sitting open-mouthed as she pressed her ear to the master bedroom's door.

"Why wouldn't you tell her?", he asked.

"She never asked me what I did, though I've given her ample opportunities. A few of the times that we've been out somewhere and someone asked us if we were together and/or had any children, and Catherine always said that _we_ didn't have any children nor would _she_ ever. The day she left Ana with me, she signed away her parental rights. There are some people who just want a friends-with-benefits relationship, some just want children and no other real commitments, some people want to always live safe lives with normal families, and some want a family and a relationship that will last. Where you're concerned, I believe Rachel wants the third option. I know for a fact what Catherine wants, AKA option one. I also know what I want, and that would be the fourth option. The only way you can move on is to decided which option you want.", Steve stated firmly, and Danny's eye bugged out as the words reached his ears.

"Wow! That makes a lot of sense. Do you do this every time you meet someone new and force them to be your partner?", Danny asked, the first half of his statement completely serious while the latter half was playful and joking.

"Only when I actually like the person I've forced to be my partner.", Steve assured, and Danny chuckled before remembering the question he had wanted to ask Steve about once Ana had gotten out of earshot.

"Oh, hey, did you notice the looks the concierge was giving you? Someone _likes_ you, but I'm not sure if you two play on the same team though!", he said to the SEAL with a full on laugh.

"Um…", Steve trailed off, his face turning bright red.

"Wait, really? I don't care, you know.", Danny responded, and Steve let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God! I only ever told four other people the truth; my parents and sister knew when I was in my sophomore year of high school, and I had to have that conversation with Ana when she stumbled across a phrase in a book of Hawaiian history.", Danny's interest was piqued at this point.

"Care to elaborate?", he asked.

"Last year, I was given a mandatory leave after breaking my right arm and left leg simultaneously. One night, while I tucked Ana into bed, she started asking questions about the Hawaiian history book my dad had given her. 'Why did they believe in nature gods, why does my name translate to Ocean, and what does the phrase 'homosexual relationships' mean' where the main ones. The first two were easy for me to tell her, but the last one… I told her not to bother with the book again for several years, but I sat down and tried to explain it in child terms.", Steve answered, and Danny was slightly impressed.

"You didn't treat her like a baby, but you didn't just tell her everything. Nice. So, how did you explain?", he asked, and Steve told him.

"I told her that, a lot of times, boys fall in love with girls; other times, boys fall in love with boys and girls fall in love with girls. She asked me if it was possible for someone to fall in love with both boys and girls. I told her it was, and that I would know because I have. Her response was priceless, and I count it as one of my favorite memories.", Ana chose that moment to reveal that she had been at the bedroom door nearly the whole time.

"I told him that, if I'd known that's all that it was, I wouldn't have bothered to ask. One of the girls at school has two moms, another girl I know has two dads. I don't mind it at all, because I believe you don't choose who you fall in love with. It just sort of happens, like in _Beauty and the Beast_ , and you never know when it might happen. Besides, it's fun, for me, to wonder if I'll have a step-mom or a step-dad.", she said as she got onto the couch and crawled into Steve's lap with her hairbrush and a single ponytail holder.

"How long have you been awake, nai'a?", he asked her, and Danny wanted to know the answer to that too.

"It took me a lot more time than it should have to find my brush, but I reached the door when you said that my mother never even wanted me. If she never wanted me, why did she even have me?", Ana asked as the tears began to form in her eyes.

"You mother probably doesn't believe in getting rid of a baby before it's even been born. But, hey, I'm glad she decided to let your dad decide what to do with you. If she didn't, I might never have met you; if that hadn't happened, I might not have ever met your dad. How horrible would that have been, huh? I think you and Grace would be great friends, so maybe the four of us can hang out this weekend?", Danny consoled the girl, and Steve was astounded at how quickly Ana dried her eyes and giggled.

"I'd like that, Uncle Danny!", she chirped happily.

"That sounds like a blast, so let's do it!", Steve agreed, and then all three began laughing together and planning for the weekend while Steve braided Ana's long, dark hair.

"Let's go to the Waikiki Aquarium!", Ana said once they had all calmed down.

"That sounds like an excellent idea, but a certain little girl needs to get to sleep before any of that can happen.", Steve said, but Ana just curled in closer to his side.

"I don't want to go to sleep, Daddy.", she said, though it was muffled as she had buried her face in Steve's chest.

"What's wrong, baby girl?", he asked her gently.

"Nightmares; I had them last night too.", was all Ana managed to say, and Danny gave Steve an "I told you so" look.

"It's okay to have nightmares, Ana. It's even perfectly alright for you to cry given what you've been through in the last two days. The hurt you're feeling, it never goes away, but it does fade into the background eventually. You will never _not_ wish your grandpa was still alive, trust me on this one; but I have a feeling that he wouldn't want you to bottle up your grief like this. Not letting it out leads to misplaced aggression.", Danny's tone was kind, and Ana could tell he was being sincere; so she nodded and then promptly burst into tears.

"Let it out, baby girl, let it out.", Steve said as he held her close; Danny decided to help by starting to gently rub circles into the little girl's back.

Soon enough, Ana was all cried out and asleep in Steve's arms. Steve put his daughter back in the bed, tucked her in, kissed her forehead, and returned to sit on the couch beside Danny. The blond detective was opening the metal case he had brought with him.

"Think we might actually be able to work now?", Steve asked with a chuckle.

"I'm not going to take what just happened and say 'I told you so,' but I did bring the surveillance equipment you wanted. We better send Sang Min to prison for what I'm in for if any of this gets damaged.", Danny answered quickly but quietly.

"Don't worry, we will. You ever gonna tell me what 'Danno' means?", Steve responded.

"That depends, are you going to tell me what was in the tool box?", was Danny's reply.

"I don't actually know. My dad wanted me to find it, but nothing in it made sense to me. I wish he left me a note explaining everything in detail.", Steve answered without missing a beat.

"You did that on purpose!", Danny exclaimed while trying to be quiet.

"What?", Steve asked innocently.

"You told me what was in the box so that I'd tell you what 'Danno' means!", but Steve merely sighed.

"I did no such thing. You wanted to know, so I told you. Partnership and teamwork is about trust.", he insisted, and Danny thought he looked a bit like a kicked puppy.

"Okay, so I can't argue with that. Did you learn that one in the Army?", Danny responded jokingly, waiting for Steve to reply, if only in hopes of getting the aforementioned "kicked-puppy" look off his face.

"I'm in the US NAVAL Reserves, Danny! Now, what does it mean?", the SEAL answered with a laugh, and Danny caved; at least his plan had worked and Steve was smiling.

"Fine! When Grace was three, she tried to say my name, and all she could manage was 'Danno.' She calls me Danno the way Ana calls you Daddy. She's the only one I ever let call me that, you know. Not even Rachel was allowed to use it while talking to me directly.", he explained while trying to remain calm, and Steve smiled.

"It's cute. I understand where you're coming from with that, honestly. She hasn't said it since I got back, but Ana sometimes calls me Sila; it's the Hawaiian word for seal, and she's the only one who ever gets away with it.", Danny felt his anger dissipate as his own smile made its way across his face.

"Yeah, I guess we've got some pretty adorable girls.", he said, and Steve nodded.

"You're a good father.", he told the blond.

"Well, there's three ways of looking at it: one, I could get myself killed chasing some meth head scumbag; two, she thinks I'm a completely selfish son of a- you know what I'm saying there. Little ears may still be awake.", Danny replied, and Steve nodded.

"I always looked up to my dad for the sacrifices he made. So, what's the third one?", was the only thing he said.

"Well, I can tell myself that this isn't permanent as much as I want; but, this is Grace's home now, and it's my job to keep it safe. If that means putting up with your 'I'm never wrong' attitude, then so be it, I guess.", Danny told him with a smile.

"You say 'well' a lot when you explain things.", Steve commented.

"I do not!", Danny replied.

"Yes, you do! Now, we are grown men; we won't argue over this tonight. It's late, and we're both going to need sleep for tomorrow.", Steve said, ending the fight before it ever really got started.

"If you try to quote me on this, ever, I will deny it, but you're right. Are we dropping Ana off at school before you commandeer my car and do who knows what to it again? I mean, you got my car shot at today.", Danny asked, though he was smiling.

"Yeah, although I don't anticipate _your_ car being shot at tomorrow. Here, this is the second key to the room; you may need it if you decide to come by a little early.", and with that, Danny nodded, took the key card, and left for his apartment.

Steve, meanwhile, made his way into the master bedroom. After quickly changing into a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, Steve got into bed and let Ana curl into his side. His last coherent thought before slipping into blissful sleep was that, when he caught up with Victor Hesse, the bastard was going to pay for everything he had ever done to the McGarrett family.

The next morning, Ana woke to find her father playing with her hair. Giggling, the little girl snuggled closer to his side. Moments like this were what Steve lived for.

"Do I have to go to school, Daddy?", Ana asked after a few moments passed.

"Yes, you do have to go to school. I can't go out and catch the bad guys until I know you're somewhere away from the fighting.", Steve answered, his ears perking up as he heard the door to the suite open. "I think Uncle Danny's here."

"Yay!", Ana cheered, and then the little girl pulled herself away from her father and hurried into the bathroom.

Steve sighed contently as she went, Danny's faint chuckle reaching his ears as his partner leaned against the open bedroom door.

"C'mon, Sleeping Beauty, we don't exactly have time to waste today. That's what Sundays are for, hopefully. Welcome to the world of police work and single-parenthood.", he said, and Steve rolled his eyes.

"Morning to you, too, Danny.", the SEAL said as he rose from the bed.

But before Danny could say another word, the bathroom door opened, and Ana ran over to him. She was dressed for school, but he was sure he could see her bathing suit's shoulder straps peeking out from her t-shirt. It seemed like everyone in Hawaii was always wearing a bathing suit.

"Morning, Uncle Danny!", she chirped, and Danny knelt down to Ana's level so she could give him a proper hug.

"Morning, Ana. Did you sleep better last night after our talk?", he asked as he hugged her.

"I did; thank you for talking to me about my feelings, Uncle Danny.", she answered with an infectious smile.

"It was no problem, sweetheart. I don't know if you heard me when I told your dad last night, but I was only bit older than you, about sixteen years old, when my uncle died; I was there when it happened, and I could still hear what happened as clearly as if it was going on beside me months afterward. But, I had no one to talk to; I had to deal with everything on my own. My brother and sisters were sad, but they didn't hear it happen. My mom was completely beside herself, and my dad was trying to console everyone at once. I kept everything bottled up inside me so that I could help everyone else, and I didn't let it all out until I hurt my knee. Not being able to do anything but go to school, come home, and sit gave me a lot of time to think. It also gave me plenty of time to be mean to my brother and sisters, and that was wrong. Once I was able to talk about it, eventually with my mom, I realized if I had done anything else, I would have gotten hurt, or worse, too. That would have made my uncle even more upset than anything else. I'm glad you talked to your dad and me last night, because you have people who understand and who want to help you.", Danny's words only made Ana smile wider, happy to know that she still had an Ohana, even if she did not have her grandpa.

Steve, who had gone into the bathroom almost the second Ana had walked out, reentered the bedroom to find his partner and daughter still hugging. Smiling to himself, Steve could not resist the temptation to take a picture of them on his phone. Danny looked up right after he heard the click.

"Really, McGarrett?", he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I thought it was cute, Williams. I say we get this show on the road.", Steve answered, and the trio headed out, gathering things like school bags and fruit for breakfast as they went.

That afternoon, when Ana exited her school's front doors, she saw a familiar face leaning against an equally familiar red car. Kono was smiling brightly at her, but Ana knew this meant that Steve and Danny were chasing after a bad guy. When they did this the day before, they had managed to get shot at.

"Hi, Aunt Kono! Are Daddy and Uncle Danny trying to get shot at two days in a row now or something?", she asked her honorary aunt sarcastically.

"It wouldn't surprise me, given that they think they've found the man who shot your grandpa. We're going to have to cancel practice today, keiki. I'm sorry.", but Ana shook her head at Kono's apology.

"Don't worry about it. Do you know how to get to Sacred Hearts Academy?", the eight year old asked with a smile.

"Sure, but why?", Kono replied.

"Grace goes there, and Uncle Danny was supposed to pick her up this afternoon. I thought we might be able to go there so I could keep her company until after her mom calls Uncle Danny and they fight before someone eventually picks her up. Daddy and Uncle Danny said the four of us might go to the aquarium this weekend too!", Ana explained, and Kono nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan. C'mon, we need to get going if we're going to stay with Grace until her mom or Danny shows up.", and then the two left in the red car.

Grace Williams was sitting in front of her school, contemplating calling her mother. Danno, her father, was supposed to have picked her up already. But there she was, still sitting in front of Sacred Hearts Academy for Girls. She was about to dial her mom's number, on the new cell phone her Step-Stan had given her, when she felt someone sit down beside her. Turning to face the mystery person, Grace found herself facing a girl her age with dark hair, tanned skin, and turquoise colored eyes.

"Hi, I'm Moana McGarrett, but you can call me Ana. Our dads work together.", the girl said, and Grace tilted her head in confusion.

"I thought my daddy's partner only had a son?", she asked, and Ana laughed.

"Well, his old partner did. Three days ago, my grandpa was killed by a man named Victor Hesse; Governor Jameson had been talking with my grandpa about creating a task force to solve the really big cases, like serial killers and terror threats, here on the island. She told my dad about it when he got back from South Korea; he's a Navy SEAL! Well, at first, Daddy said he didn't want to be on a task force; but then he met your dad, and, after I told them about eaves dropping on Grandpa John's phone calls and knowing all about the task force, they decided to form it anyway and work together. Now our dads are partners, and they get to lead the task force. My Uncle Chin Ho Kelly, who's not really my uncle, is on the team, too!", she explained, and Grace blinked.

"That sounds like really important work! Is that why my daddy hasn't gotten here and picked me up yet?", the brown eyed girl asked her new friend.

"Yep. This morning, the team was supposed to go after a man who they think helped the man who killed my grandpa onto the island. Seeing as how Aunt Kono was their bait and she's who brought me here, I think they got that guy. Oh, that's Aunt Kono over there by the red car! Our dads are probably going after Victor Hesse as we speak.", Ana answered, and Grace giggled at how melodramatic Ana was being.

"I don't want to be rude, because Danno always says that's a bad thing, but if your Aunt Kono brought you here, where's your mom?", Grace tried to ask delicately as the older woman Ana had pointed out moments before walked closer to them.

"My mom never wanted me. She left me with Daddy a few days after I was born.", Ana admitted, and Grace instantly felt horrible for asking.

"How did you find out?", she asked, scooting closer to Ana.

"Last night, I was looking for my hairbrush and heard Daddy and Uncle Danny, what I call your dad, arguing about something. When I got to the bedroom door, I heard Daddy saying that my mom showed up at my grandpa's house with me when I was a newborn; she told him she didn't want me, to either keep me or give me up because she didn't care. He's gone out on dates with her a few times, just to give her a chance to admit she's my mom and has abandoned her responsibilities and all, but she won't ever as much as ask him what he decided to do with me. I half-expect to find out that she gave me a common name that Daddy changed once he decided to keep me, because I really don't see a haole like my mother coming up with the name Moana Rose.", Ana said, and Grace frowned.

"What does that word mean?", she asked, and Ana crinkled her eyes in confusion.

"It's a name native Hawaiians, and sometimes the locals, call people who come from the mainland and, not to be rude, look like Uncle Danny. Some people even say that about Daddy until he starts speaking in Hawaiian and brings up the fact that he was born here. Why?", the turquoise-eyed girl responded.

"Some of the girls here call me that. My friends don't, but other girls do. I told my mom that they were calling me names, but she told me they would stop after a while. I've been living here for six months, and they haven't stopped yet!", Grace explained her interest in the word; it made Ana's blood boil to think of people bullying her new friend.

"If you want, I can teach you what I know about Hawaii's people and history. I've already told Uncle Danny that no one will take him seriously if he goes around in a tie.", Ana offered up.

"Really? You would help me like that? We barely even know each other.", that was the part of the conversation Kono walked up on.

"Look, I'm Hawaiian, and we Hawaiians have a word we use to describe the people we're closest to: Ohana. It means family, and sometimes the best family is the one you choose, not the one you're born into. It'll take longer for the adults to admit it, but we're already a new, small ohana. You're part of my family now, Grace, so of course I'll help you.", Ana said as she hugged Grace, and Grace hugged her back.

"Was that my first lesson?", Grace joked, and the two girls began giggling.

"Okay, what did I miss?", Kono asked as she sat down on Ana's other side.

"Aunt Kono, this is Uncle Danny's daughter, Grace Williams. Grace, this is my aunt, Kono Kalakaua. She graduates from the police academy next week, so until then she's the unofficial fourth member of the team.", Ana introduced the two, and the three sat there talking until Kono's cell phone rage, the caller ID showing it was Steve.

"Hey, Boss! She's with me, as is Other-Boss' daughter. Yeah, she wanted to make sure Grace wasn't alone. She figured it out when I picked her up. I can bring them both HQ if you guys want. We are? You did what! Fine, we're on our way.", and then Kono hung up.

"What did Daddy do now?", Ana asked without a thought.

"He got shot trying to take down Hesse. Your dad shot Hesse, but the body is missing. Hesse shot back before he went down, and your dad got hit in the shoulder. Danny's got a cut on his head, but that's about all.", Kono knew hiding information from Ana was a bad idea.

"Seriously? My father, Lt. Commander Steven J. McGarrett, is the most accident prone person on this island!", the eight year old McGarrett cried out exasperatedly.

"Aren't you worried about that Hesse guy?", Grace asked.

"No. Daddy will catch him when he resurfaces.", Ana said firmly.

"What are we doing now, Ms. Kalakaua?", Grace turned her attention to Kono.

"First, you can call me Auntie Kono, Grace. Second, I am going to take the two of you with me to our headquarters. Your daddies decided we're having an ohana dinner tonight, and that includes both of you. Any more questions?", Kono told the two little girls with a smile.

When both girls shook their heads, Kono led them back to her car; the three females listened to the radio, laughed, and told stories for the whole twenty minutes it took to get back to Aliʻiōlani Hale. Grace was sure she was going to like her new ohana, and Ana was well on her way to being the best friend Grace had on the island that was now her home.

Danny sat at his desk, organizing his belongings the way he wanted them, when Steve walked in and sat down on the edge of his desk. Danny gave him a look signaling for him to move off his desk, but Steve did not budge. Danny pushed his chair back from his desk and gave his partner his full attention.

"What?", he asked.

"I'm taking your advice and renovating the house.", Steve said casually.

"Good for you, but there's more here. What else?", Danny replied.

"Ana and I will be staying at the Kahala until the renovations are finished; I've already talked to the governor about it, and she's going to let us stay because she doesn't want a child to be forced to relive that pain. This weekend, I want you to come and stay with us.", this only confused the blond.

"What is your problem with my apartment?", he asked, and Steve rolled his eyes.

"You have Grace this weekend, right? We're taking the girls to the aquarium, remember? The suite has two bedrooms, so you and Grace can share the second bedroom. We'll do the aquarium on Sunday, so the girls can go swimming with the dolphins on Saturday. Friday, we can take them to the movies or something. Just accept the invitation.", the SEAL explained, and Danny realized he was trying to apologize again.

"Fine, you win this round, McGarrett. Any idea how you're going to renovate yet?", he responded, accepting the invitation.

"It already seems so cookie-cutter American on the inside, so I'm thinking it could be a little more tropical looking, I guess?", Steve said, unsure of his word choice.

"That could work, but I wouldn't go over-the-top with it.", Danny told him, and their conversation was seeming to slip into small talk.

"Kono should be here with the girls any time now. Do you think they're best friends yet? Ana won't stop until they are.", Steve said with a smile, and Danny chuckled.

"Knowing Grace, they're probably jabbering away with Kono. Are you sure all three of them should be at dinner tonight against you, me, and Chin?", the blond joked.

"Everything will be fine, Danny. Trust me.", and before Danny could get the last word like he normally would have, the sound of little girls laughing reached their ears.

The two men exited Danny's office and saw their daughters walking towards them, Kono trailing slightly behind. They were definitely already best friends. However, neither man could guess as to what the two eight year olds and Kono had been talking about on the car ride back.

 **A/N: So, here is the first chapter. I am hoping to do this episode by episode with shorter chapters in between. Yes, this story is headed in the direction of McDanno; no, I do not intend on making Catherine completely unlikeable; and yes, I will probably play up the dislikeable traits Rachel and Stan possess. I hope you will not mind this, and I hope you leave me lots of reviews! Thank you for reading!**


	2. Daddies and Daughters Weekend 1

**A/N: I don't own Hawaii Five-0. Here we go, boys and girls! This chapter is all about Steve and Danny's weekend with their girls! R &R!**

Friday evening, Danny arrived at his ex-wife's mansion to pick Grace up for his weekend with her. Rachel seemed to want him out of her house as soon as possible, but she seemed to want to keep Grace from leaving for as long as possible. The tension building between the two was alleviated as Grace dashed into the room and threw her arms around Danny.

"Danno!", she chirped as her father hugged her tightly.

"Monkey!", he replied, and Grace fixed her brown eyes on his blue.

"We're going to see Ana and Uncle Steve, right?", she asked seriously.

"Yes, Grace, we are. Ana even said she has something special planned for us. Are you ready to go?", Danny responded, and his daughter nodded emphatically.

"A hui hou, Mommy! I'll see you when I come home Sunday!", Grace told her mother as she gave her a goodbye.

"Now what does that mean, Grace?", Rachel asked confusedly.

"It means 'See you later' essentially. I'm guessing Ana taught you that one.", Danny said as he looked from mother to daughter.

"She did! Ana said she'd teach me all about Hawaii, its language, and its people! This is my home now, so I need to know all about it, right?", the eight year old said excitedly.

Danny nodded at her, but he noticed the look of apprehension on his ex-wife's face. Sighing, he turned his gaze back to Grace, and his little girl seemed to realize the adults needed to talk in private.

"I'm going to put my bag in the car.", she announced, skipping out of the house and down to the Camaro.

"Daniel, who is this Ana she keeps talking about? I don't think Grace has gone more than fifteen minutes without bringing her up ever since you brought her home Wednesday night. On that note, I also thought you couldn't pick her up Wednesday?", Rachel questioned.

"I got a promotion while investigating the John McGarrett case. As of Tuesday, I am second-in-command of Governor Jameson's new, unnamed task force. My new partner, Steve McGarrett, has a daughter Grace's age; Ana is a little genius! I'm not sure if it's because her father is a Navy SEAL or what, but that little girl is well on her way to becoming a spy if no one stops her. But she's also more concerned with others' well-being than her own, which I am sure she got from her father. Wednesday, while Steve and I were trying to take down an international terrorist, he had Kono pick Ana up from school; Kono used to be a professional surfer, but she blew out her knee three years in and decided to become a cop. She's on the task force, and she graduates from the academy this next week. When she saw Kono, Ana figured out that Steve and I were taking down Hesse, so she got Kono to drive her to Grace's school. Pretty much, from the moment the two met, Ana and Grace have become each other's best friends. Moana McGarrett is a good kid, and I can't think of any other child I'd be happier to see Grace hanging out with. That goes double for that Tommy kid you and Stan got her introduced to.", Danny explained.

"What's wrong with Tommy?", Rachel asked angrily.

"What's wrong with him? From what Grace has told me, the kid's a pathological liar. Is that really the type of friend you think our daughter should have?", Danny asked her exasperatedly.

"You're the one who just said her new supposed best friend is almost a child spy! If anything, that's the type of friend she shouldn't have!", Rachel snapped, but Danny just rolled his eyes at her.

"Rachel, when I say Ana is the daughter of a Navy SEAL, I mean her father is a trained Naval Intelligence operative, not just a Specialist. Steve has spent the last five years hunting down the Hesse brothers, and they happen to be terrorists; when I met the guy, he was able to tell me the exact size and production method of Victor Hesse's shoes. Any child raised by someone like that has to be good at finding out information you attempt to keep secret!", he was borderline shouting at this point.

"And what exactly does her mother think of this?", Rachel huffed.

"Ana's mother didn't want her. She's a Naval Lieutenant herself, and she was on leave here in Honolulu, at Pearl Harbor, when Ana was born. The child was all of a few days old when she took her to Steve's place and left Ana with her father. The paperwork on Catherine's part was all taken care of, it was just Steve who had to decide whether or not he was keeping his daughter. So what does her mother think? Ana's mother doesn't care enough about her to have an opinion on the situation.", that shut Rachel up real quick.

"How could a mother not want her own child?", she seemed to ask herself, and Danny merely shrugged.

"I don't know, but I can understand completely why Steve couldn't give her up. I'd never be able to give Grace up like that; she's my whole world.", he tried to console her, but Steve's words from Tuesday night rang in his ears.

"Yes, I know that. Well, the two of you should be going. I expect her home no later than seven o'clock on Sunday, Daniel.", Rachel said before walking Danny to the front door.

"Of course. I'll have her back on time. Good-bye, Rachel.", he said to her.

"Good-bye, Daniel.", she said as she shut the door behind him.

Danny pushed his not-so-nice thoughts about his ex to the back of his mind as he got into his car, Grace sitting in the passenger seat with her phone in her lap.

"Ana says she and Uncle Steve are picking up some pizzas for dinner. Is there any type of pizza you want?", she asked as soon as Danny had cranked the car.

"Yeah, the kind with no pineapple!", he grumbled, and Grace giggled at him.

"Pineapple isn't that bad, Danno.", she told him, and they proceeded to go back and forth with the pineapple-based banter until they reached the Kahala.

Ana's surprise turned out to be _Disney's Lilo and Stitch_ , and no one was complaining there. Grace, it turned out, had not seen the movie and was more than willing to watch it. Ana was happy to watch it for the sake of educating her best friend, and Steve felt the same way where Danny was concerned. Danny claimed he was only watching for Grace's benefit, but he found himself enjoying it nonetheless.

When the movie ended, Steve had Danny help him clean up the plates and pizza boxes. The girls, on the other hand, were busy going through Ana's DVD collection.

"These are just the ones I took from my room before Uncle Danny took me with him to the police station. See anything you want to watch?", Ana asked her friend.

"We could watch _The Princess Diaries_ tonight and _Royal Engagement_ tomorrow night. Maybe if we drop hints to them during the movie…", Grace replied, trailing off as Ana's mischievous smirk made an appearance on her face.

"Or we could wait for Aunt Kono's part of the plan first and just enjoy forcing our dads to sit through princess movies!", she countered, and Grace chuckled.

"Okay, we can wait for Aunt Kono's part of the plan. Do you think it'll work?", the Williams girl asked the McGarrett girl.

"All things considered, it might take a while. But it will work eventually, I promise!", Ana assured, and Grace nodded; Kono's part of the plan they had devised the day before was important, so Ana was definitely right.

After watching _The Princess Diaries_ , during which Danny and Steve found themselves more amused than either would care to admit, everyone retired for the night. It was actually hard to tell, Danny thought as he drifted off to sleep in one of the queen-sized beds in the second bedroom, who was more excited for their trip to the aquarium the next day: Grace, Ana, or Steve.

Grace asked, innocently as possible, what all kinds of marine life the aquarium housed. This led to Steve and Ana gushing about Hawaiian monk seals and how amazing they thought they were. While Danny was very confident in his sexuality, he was not going to tell Steve how adorable he found this. No, he absolutely would not tell him that. It was with that promise to himself that Danny fell asleep.

The next morning, Danny woke to two depressed looking girls and equally depressed looking SEAL. Waking up a little more, he realized there was a horrendous thunderstorm going on outside. That explained a lot.

"What's wrong, guys?", he asked them groggily.

"It's storming. That means we won't be able to see the monk seals.", that depressed and grumpy reply came from Steve, funnily enough.

"In the six months I've been here, these storms haven't lasted the whole day. Why don't we figure out something else to do for now?", Danny tried to reason tiredly.

"What else can we do?", Grace asked, bordering on whining.

"Why don't you girls think up a list of things we could do? I'm sure the two of you can come up with something if you put your minds to it and work together.", he told the two of them as he became more awake and aware.

"Okay.", and the two girls left the room.

"Now, when I'm the one trapped in this pineapple infested hell-hole, why are you the one who looks like someone ran over his puppy?", Danny asked Steve, and the SEAL sighed.

"The monk seals are Ana's favorite exhibit at the aquarium. With everything that's been going on recently, I thought seeing them might help her cope, maybe give her a bit of relief from life itself. I'm more worried about her ability to move on from this than I am my own. You understand, right?", Steve answered, and Danny nodded.

"Yeah, sort of. I would do anything to help Grace if she went through something like this. I hope I never have to; but if I do, I hope you'll still be there to help out. We can all go to the aquarium another day; Ana has nothing to worry about because it's not like the seals are going anywhere, right?", Danny said with a smile, and Steve smiled back with a chuckle.

"The monk seals and this SEAL are staying put, Danno. I promise.", queue Danny's groaning over the use of the nickname.

"What did I tell you about that?", he asked, and Steve merely chuckled again before walking across the suite to his own room.

Danny sighed, got out of bed, closed the bedroom door, and got ready for the day. Out in the living room, two little girls were desperately trying to come up with something else that they could do for the day.

"What do you want to do?", Ana asked Grace.

"Well, what do you usually do during rain?", Grace asked by way of reply.

"I usually watch DVDs on my laptop. Aunt Kono gave me the first season of _Supernatural_ a couple of months ago; we could watch that.", Ana offered.

"Danno might not like that. He might say I'm still too young to watch that, even though my mom's been letting me watch since I turned eight.", Grace told her, but Ana shook her head.

"Don't say it's out until we ask. Grandpa John always said if you never ask a question, the answer is always 'No.'", she told Grace, and the brown-eyed girl grinned.

"Okay, we'll ask.", she relented.

"I've got a better idea.", Ana said before hurrying over to the case of her DVDs, grabbing the first season of the aforementioned show, and putting Disc One in the DVD player.

By the time Steve and Danny had entered the room, the two girls were watching the television intently as Dean Winchester arrived at his younger brother Sam's apartment and requested his help in finding their missing father. Steve saw what the girls were watching, but he said nothing. Instead, he sat down on the couch beside his daughter and began watching too. Danny noticed the show, thought about telling them to shut it off, but decided against it. Grace would be okay with the first, and maybe the second, season. It was not as bad as third on would be for her. Besides, Danny would be lying if he told even himself that the actors portraying the Winchester brothers were unattractive men.

"You seriously don't have a problem with this, Danno?", Grace asked as he sat down beside her without a word.

"Not this season. It's once the whole apocalypse arc starts that I will forbid you from watching this.", he told her, and Grace giggled.

"Mom already let me watch those episodes. Well, she let me watch most of them; there were a few times she told me to leave the room. If Sam isn't in the Cage anymore, does that mean that Adam is dead?", she responded, and the other three looked at her curiously.

"Aunt Kono did the same thing with me, Grace, but what do you mean by that?", she asked what they all were thinking.

"Well, if Sam was pulled out by something or someone, wouldn't that mean Lucifer's true form was left behind? And if that's true, wouldn't his true form destroy Adam's body and leave Michael in his true form?", Grace asked, and Steve was the first to respond.

"You could be right, but not if angels can call upon the forms of past vessels. If they could do that, then Lucifer could have regained Nick's body at nearly the instant Sam was freed. If that's true, then there is a chance that Michael was able to heal whatever damage had been done to Adam. But, as we don't know if they can do that, who really knows?", Danny snorted before voicing his response to Steve.

"Obviously, Steven, Chuck knows. By the way the season ended, it's clear that Chuck Shurley is really God. I hope that, at some point, Chuck resurrects Gabriel. I liked that guy.", he said, and Steve shook his head.

"I didn't think you were a Gabriel sort of guy. He was actually my favorite character out of everyone, and Castiel is a close second.", he said to Danny.

"Gabe's my second favorite character. My _favorite_ character is Dean. Girls?", Danny said before turning the question over to the two youngest viewers.

"This is going to sound weird, but I kind of think Meg is cool. Castiel is still cooler, but Meg ranks up there.", Ana said without missing a beat.

"I think Gabriel is pretty awesome, and Dean is cool too, but Sam is my favorite.", Grace said, and they went back to watching the show in silence.

By the time "Bloody Mary" was about to begin, they had paused multiple times for a small fresh-fruit-breakfast, bathroom breaks, and for mild debates on how the situation of the episode was handled. After nearly three and a half hours, Steve decided he needed to get up and stretch. Danny followed his example, and the two men noticed that the rain had yet to stop pouring down. If anything, it had gotten worse. There was no way they would be leaving the hotel any time soon.

"Hey, girls, what do you want to do for a little bit? We need to take a break from watching the show.", Steve asked, turning around to find two little girls in deep, hushed conversation.

"I know we haven't done much today, but could we take a nap?", Ana asked.

"Sure, nai'a. Do you want to walk to piggy-back?", Steve asked his daughter, and Ana merely held out her arms.

"C'mon, Uncle Danny, I have a theory I want to prove!", Ana said as Steve picked her up and placed her on his back.

"And what theory would that be?", Danny asked as Grace curled into his side further.

"My theory is that all four of us can fit on a king-sized bed. Grace and I discussed it when you and Daddy arguing over the pineapple.", Ana said through her slightly sleepiness-induced slurred speech.

"Fine, we can test your theory, Ana. C'mon, Monkey, let's go take part in an science experiment.", Danny relented, Steve just mouthing for him to go along with it making him cave.

Once it was determined that they did all four fit, the two fathers found that they were now stuck. The slightest movement was likely to wake the girls, and Steve assured Danny that a cranky Ana was quite possibly more terrifying than most types of torture because her whining never ceased. Danny added in that a cranky Grace was equally horrible.

"So why did I let you talk me into this?", Danny whispered across the sleeping eight year olds between him and his partner.

"Trust me, it is definitely better this way. If you tell a tired Ana you won't do as she asks, Cranky Ana makes an appearance, and the whining is nonstop. Normally, she knows it would get her grounded, not that her being grounded is ever more than her sitting at the dining room table writing sentences instead of playing; but, with everything that's been going on, I don't want to ground her just yet. I want Ana to have as much positive in her life right now as can be; is that wrong?", Steve answered in a whisper, and Danny wasted no time in replying.

"Well then, thank you for sparring me. No, it's not wrong of you to want that; _but_ you do need to remember that you are a full-time parent now. Discipline, chores, homework, house rules, and things like that are important for both of you now. Tomorrow, when I take Grace back to Rachel's, you two should sit down and talk about what your dad's rules were for her. While they were probably similar to the rules he had for you and your sister growing up, grandkids always manage to get a few rules bent in their favor.", Danny assured him, and Steve nodded.

"My arm's asleep. Maybe I'll follow its example.", Steve said, and Danny chuckled.

"Sounds like a plan. Do you have an alarm set, or should I set one? We can't let the girls or ourselves sleep all day.", he asked.

"I have one set. We all got up around nine, and it's about one o'clock now, so I figured that three o'clock would be fine.", and Danny nodded and closed his eyes as soon as Steve finished talking.

"Have a nice nap, Steve.", came his muffled reply.

"Have a nice nap, Danno.", and Danny gave a grunt of indignation at the use of the nickname from the SEAL.

At a quarter till three, Ana woke up with a feeling of fullness…in her bladder. Carefully maneuvering off the bed without waking Danny or Steve, she hurried into the bathroom. It was on her way back to the bed that she noticed Grace was gone.

Wandering out into the living room, Ana found Grace staring out the sliding glass doors that led out onto the lanai. The storm had stopped, finally, and there was a rainbow in the sky. Maybe they could at least go down to the beach to play in the sand once the adults woke up.

"I can't remember it being like this in New Jersey.", Grace said, and Ana smiled.

"One, Hawaii is a lot different than New Jersey. Two, how did you know I was here?", she asked in reply.

"I saw your reflection in the window. No, what I mean is that Danno never slowed down or took the time to nap when we lived in New Jersey. I don't think my mom would have let him do that, even if he wanted to. I stopped taking naps at six years old at _her_ insistence. I learned that word in one of the books I've been reading. My mom always wants to go places, meet fancy people, and do very fancy things; she and Step-Stan never slow down and take naps.", Grace explained, but that only left Ana with a distaste for Rachel Edwards in her slightly gaping mouth.

"Daddy's always set aside time for us to take a nap together on Saturdays. Usually, he'll get up, go for a run or a swim, come back inside, make breakfast, and wake me up. We eat, I tell him all about anything I forgot to tell him the night before, and we clean our breakfast dishes. When Grandpa was alive, the three of us would go out and take care of the bills and shopping after breakfast. Then, when all of that was done, and the groceries were put away, Daddy would pick me up and set me on his back before carrying me upstairs. He thinks I don't know why he does it, but I do. He could have died so many times as a SEAL, and he just likes to hold me to convince himself that he deserves to be happy, safe, and alive. He had a lot of friends die as part of his missions, and that hurt him a lot. Between you, me, and the sea, I'm pretty sure his has some pretty bad Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder, guilt, and abandonment issues.", Ana said to her best friend, and Grace sighed.

"I understand. I'm named after Danno's old partner; she was killed before I was born. My mom said he was different after 'Aunt' Grace died, but I've never known him any other way but this. Nana Williams told me he just needed time to adjust and grieve for 'Aunt' Grace, but my mom never gave him the chance. This conversation is getting too sad; do you want to watch a movie or something until our dads wake up?", and when Ana agreed with Grace, they began watching _The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_.

That was how, five minutes after Steve's alarm went off, the two men found their two girls. Much like with _Supernatural_ , Danny and Steve sat down on either side of the two and watched the movie. Danny had been worried that Grace had been bummed out at not getting to go to the aquarium, but the little girl assured him she was fine.

"We'll just have to go in two weeks, won't we? Wait, could we go to the aquarium to see the monk seals in two weeks, Uncle Steve?", Grace asked, turning her big brown eyes on the SEAL, who caved at once.

"Sure we can, Gracie. The four of us can go then. Is that okay with you, nai'a?", and Ana nodded at her father's question.

"What do you girls want to do for the rest of the day?", Danny asked, and the girls nodded.

"If we can go down to the beach after we swim with the dolphins tomorrow, we can just stay here and watch movies all night.", Ana said, and Grace picked up from where she left off.

"We decided to leave dinner up to you."

"Okay then, we'll do that. Now, I haven't seen this one in a while. What's going on?", was Danny's reply, so Ana and Grace began explaining the plot to their fathers.

Sunday morning, Danny rolled over to find, not an eight year old girl, but a former Navy SEAL in Grace's bed. The events of the night before came back to him, and he remembered the girls asking if they could share the master bedroom in a sort of sleep over Saturday night. Naturally, after a few puppy faces, the girls won again.

"Morning, Danno.", Steve said as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Morning, _Steven_. We can't keep letting them get their way all the time, Steve. You do realize you have to set some boundaries for your daughter, right?", Danny replied, stressing Steve's full first name.

"I know, I know; but, like I said yesterday, it's hard. She's been through so much, and I don't want her to ever worry about anything.", McGarrett said as he turned to face his partner who was lying in the other bed.

"But those are two different things. Ana still needs chores and rules, otherwise she could end up as danger-prone as _you_.", Williams said with a chuckle, and the dark haired man shook his head.

"I am not that bad!", he tried to reason, but the blond was having none of it.

"Within knowing you for all of three days, I've been shot at, been witness to a suspect being dangled off of a roof, been pushed to the ground with my arm pinned behind my back, and been driven onto a Chinese freighter! That's not even counting how many times I've been shot _at_!", Danny said through his laughter.

"But you're a cop. Some of those things were bound to happen anyway, and need I remind you that you're the one who punched me in the face?", Steve quipped, and Danny groaned.

"But that was after you twisted my arm, you Neanderthal!", he exclaimed, his laughter still going.

"But you still punched me!", Steve was laughing at this point as well.

"I thought SEALs were tougher than that, Steve! Are you really that upset that someone punched you?", Danny asked him incredulously.

Steve wanted to say _"No, I'm upset that I was punched by a really attractive guy that I have zero chance with."_ , but he did not think Danny would respond too well to that; so he chose to tell him something else instead.

"No, but that is no way to start a partnership!"

"I think it's an excellent way. Think about it like this, at least we know neither one of us will take the other's sh-crap when one of us starts bit- _whining_ at the other.", Danny corrected his words in case the girls had their ears pressed to the bedroom door.

"True. Should we go and check on them? Ana is normally awake by now.", Steve said, but if only they had known what conversation they would be walking in on.

In the other bedroom, Ana and Grace had been awake for the better part of an hour. The two talked about everything under the sun. They now knew each other better than anyone in the world, even their beloved fathers. It was just as Danny and Steve were walking across the suite that Ana asked Grace the question that had been in the back of her mind for nearly four days.

"What's it like to have a mom?"

"Well, it's different, I guess, depending on the mom. My mom is good, but sometimes I think she wants to improve her, what did Step-Stan call it, social standing? I love her, and I know she loves me, but sometimes I just want to get away from her for a while.", Grace answered as the bedroom door silently opened.

"Do you think my mom would have loved me if she had kept me?", Ana asked, and her voice nearly broke both Steve and Danny's hearts.

"Ana, she would have been crazy not to. You're an amazing friend, and I wouldn't want to have a sleepover before going to swim with dolphins. You were nice enough to accept me for who I am, a New Jersian, and offer to teach me how to fit in here without using any mean words. You, Moana Rose McGarrett, are officially my best friend and the best eight year old on the island!", Grace insisted, and Danny fought back proud tears.

"I think you might be in a tie with me for that, Grace. You know, you're my best friend too… even if you are from New Jersey!", Ana replied, and the two girls fell into a bought of giggles before noticing their fathers in the door way.

That night, after swimming with the dolphins, playing McGarrett-on-Williams volleyball down on the beach, and having dinner at a restaurant Steve's dad had taken him and his sister Mary as children, Grace hugged her best friend and her new uncle good-bye and climbed into the passenger seat of Danny's car. Ana was still talking to Grace as Danny thanked Steve (again) for letting them stay.

"Remember to ask your mom if you can come to Aunt Kono's graduation dinner. She and Uncle Chin have a huge family, with lots of kids, but it won't be as fun if you're not there!", she told Grace, and Grace nodded before giggling.

"I wouldn't want to miss it for the world, Ana!", and then Ana giggled.

"A hui hou, kaikuahine.", she said to Grace as Steve motioned for her to come back to his side so that they could return to their suite.

"What does that mean?", Grace asked.

"See you later, Sister.", Ana answered before hugging Grace.

"If our plan works, then yes. See you later!", Grace whispered, and then Ana nodded as she closed the car door and hurried back to Steve.

"By, Uncle Danny! I'll see you later!", she said as she hugged Danny around the waist.

"I'll see you soon, Ana. Bye, Steve, I'll see you in the morning.", and then Danny got into his car, preparing to drive Grace home.

"You know, Grace, I'm really proud of what you told Ana this morning. Steve and I agreed not to say anything until now so you wouldn't think we were eaves dropping on you; we just woke up a few minutes before we went in there with you two. You are such a smart, sweet, and brave little girl. Danno loves you.", Danny said to Grace as they pulled into Rachel's driveway.

"I love you too, Danno! Oh, Mommy's waiting, so I should get inside. If Mommy says it's okay, can I go to Aunt Kono's graduation dinner?", Grace responded, trying not to look sad at the prospect of returning to her mother.

"Sure. I am positive that Aunt Kono would want you there. I'll see you on Wednesday no matter what, Monkey.", he said, and Grace hugged him again.

"I'll see you Wednesday! Don't let Uncle Steve get you shot again!", she told him before hurrying up the steps and into the house.

Steve waited until he was tucking Ana into bed before he brought up her discussion with Grace. Ana thought she was in trouble when he began talking about it.

"I know that not having your mom in your life hurts sometimes. You feel like there's something missing from your life, like you aren't sure who you are. But I'm glad you talked with Grace about this. She's a good friend to you, and I'm so proud of you, nai'a. You went to Grace and made sure she wasn't scared when she was left at school, because Rachel apparently doesn't check her messages from Danny. Sorry, you didn't need to hear that last comment. You are such a selfless and kind little girl, Ana, and I have no idea how you got that way between me and Grandpa John.", he told her, and Ana curled into his side.

"I learned it from you, Daddy. You've always said that our ohana is the most important thing there is and to do whatever you can to make sure your ohana feels welcome and cared for. Grace and Uncle Danny don't feel welcome in Hawaii; Uncle Danny misses his family, and Grace gets bullied at school _and_ has to go to all of these high society parties that her stepfather only needs her at to appear a family man and gather better connections for his business. Grace told me, last night before we went to sleep, that he bought her a bunny, Mr. Hoppy, and told her that he bought it because he knew Uncle Danny wouldn't be able to buy her an animal to take to school for Animal Show-n-Tell Day.", she explained, and Steve could barely believe the words coming out of his eight year old daughter's mouth.

Was Stan really trying to buy Grace's affection just to show up Danny? Steve decided to push those thoughts aside until he could talk to Danny about it, so he leaned over and placed a kiss on Ana's forehead.

"Well, I'll let your Uncle Danny know about that, but you don't need to worry about everyone in our ohana. For now, just worry about yourself and school tomorrow. Get some sleep. I'll be in her in a little bit."

Steve sat out on the lanai off the living room for a bit that night. How, he thought, could a woman possibly expect a child to effectively lose a parent and be okay with whatever replacement she had to offer? Catherine had offered a grandfather in the place of a mother for Ana, and Rachel had offered Stan as opposed to Danny as a father for Grace. Filing the information away for a later date, Steve cleared his thoughts of the children's hardships and went back inside in order to go to sleep. He only had a few hours to go until something requiring his team would come about, more than likely.

 **A/N: So, here is the second chapter. I am hoping to do this episode by episode with shorter chapters in between. Yes, this story is headed in the direction of McDanno; no, I do not intend on making Catherine completely unlikeable; and yes, I will probably play up the dislikeable traits Rachel and Stan possess. I hope you will not mind this, and I hope you leave me lots of reviews! Thank you for reading!**


	3. Ohana vs Relatives

**A/N: I don't own Hawaii Five-0. Here we go, boys and girls! This chapter is all about Steve and Danny's weekend with their girls! R &R!**

Monday morning, Danny drove over to his ex-wife's house to pick his daughter up for school. He had barely even let Rachel know he was there before Ana had called him. He was still on the phone with her when Rachel opened the door.

"Ana, I'll be there. Yeah, I know he's a bit obsessed, but we love him anyway, don't we? Yes, Ana, he's pretty much my best friend. Here, talk to Grace.", Danny told her before handing his phone over to his daughter once she released him from a hug.

"New girlfriend, Daniel?", Rachel asked, cold as always.

"No, it's _Ana_ , Rachel. Steve got sidetracked, stuff dealing with his father's case, while she was getting ready for school. She wanted to know if I could come by just to be sure that she got to school on time.", he told her while Grace wandered off to the car.

"It shouldn't concern you if she gets to school on time. That's her parents' job.", Rachel stated as Grace turned around and walked back over to Danny.

"Danno, Uncle Steve needs to talk to you.", she said as she handed Danny the phone before turning to Rachel. "Mommy, Ana's only got Uncle Steve as a parent. Her mother didn't want her, so she gave up her rights after she gave Ana to Uncle Steve as a baby."

"Now, I'm sure Ana's mother loved her very much. There must have been a reason she couldn't keep her because no mother would want to give up her baby.", Rachel insisted, only for Danny to turn his gaze on her as he put his phone in his pocket.

"Grace is actually right. As I told you Friday, Lt. Catherine Rollins showed up at the McGarrett house with three day old Ana and told Steve to do with her as he wished because she was a career military woman and did not want a child. The only reason Ana was born was because either Catherine is Pro-Life or she couldn't end her pregnancy without Steve knowing and had no way to contact him. He's seen Catherine quite often since Ana's birth, but Catherine never acknowledges that they even have a child together. The way I hear it, they have an almost strictly friends-with-benefits relationship.", he told Rachel, and the British woman pursed her lips.

"Well, I surely hope I never meet this woman. I just can't understand why a woman would not keep her child. You are supposed to put your child's needs and wants before your own!", she insisted, and it took all of Danny's self-control to not call her a hypocrite.

So, being the bigger person for once in his life, Danny just escorted Grace to the car and drove away. Soon, Grace noticed that they were not headed for her bus stop. Until her surroundings began to look familiar, she kept quiet. Grace decided to open her mouth only when Danny pulled up in front of the Kahala.

"Danno, why are we here?", she asked, though she already knew.

"I'm going to pick up Ana, take you both to school, and go to Headquarters. It'll give Steve time to rejoin reality and also just be easier this way.", he said, not expecting the reply his daughter was about to give him.

"Not to mention it'll give you time to cool down from Mom being, what was that word she used during the divorce? Oh, she was being hypocritical towards Lt. Rollins. Everyone knows Mom didn't take what I wanted into-what's that word-consideration before she moved me here. I didn't want to leave you, and Nana and Grandpa, back in New Jersey, but I'm glad I did; and I'm glad you followed. If all of that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have met Ana!", Danny was thankful he had parked at the Kahala at this point, because he might have crashed his car otherwise.

"You're really perceptive, Monkey.", Danny told her as they took the familiar root from the weekend to Steve and Ana's suite.

"I'll need to be if I'm ever going to reach the goal I set for myself.", Grace said wisely, but Danny tilted his head to the side.

"What goal, Monkey?", he asked gently.

"I'll tell you about it later. We can go over my homework on Wednesday, and I can tell you then. Danno, I promise you it's nothing bad. I may be eight, but I'm not a dummy.", Grace assured, and she sounded more like the parent than Danny did for the moment.

"Fine, but I won't forget about this, Grace Marie. Ana, it's Uncle Danny. Grace and I are here to take you to school.", Danny told her as he knocked on the door to the suite.

It opened, and Ana smiled at them. Dany noted the slightly out of place chair; Ana had been waiting on them to arrive. That, of course, was why he was not shocked when she threw her arms around him and squeezed tightly.

"Morning, Uncle Danny! Just let me grab my backpack and tell Daddy good-bye, and then we can get going. I really don't think Grace needs to be late to school.", the youngest McGarrett said quickly before releasing Danny and hurrying off.

So, an hour later, Danny reentered the suite, using the key card Steve had given him, with a white paper bag filled with what Ana had told him were called malasadas. Steve, he found, was sitting at the dining table and listening to the tape his father had left him. The SEAL looked up and chuckled upon seeing Danny.

"What, you don't believe I can actually find my way to work on my own?", he asked.

"No, I'm sure you could. But, Ana insisted I come back to check on you. Are you going to be mad about that?", Danny asked in reply.

"That depends. What's in the bag?", Steve asked, the third question of their morning bring a smile to both of their faces.

"Again, your daughter told me you hadn't eaten breakfast and told me to by these for you. They're those doughnut looking things Ana wanted when we went to dinner Sunday.", was Danny's response.

"Malasadas?", Steve asked.

"Yeah, do you want one? Keep in mind, I'm not the one two eight year olds will be furious at for refusing to eat his breakfast.", and Steve had to chuckle at Danny's telling him the truth.

"I'll eat one, but I'll have to do a lot of extra workouts to burn off all of those unnecessary calories. How many have you eaten already?", Steve said as he walked over to the counter with the coffee pot on it and grabbed two napkins.

"I don't even remember. These things are so good!", Danny said, accepting the napkins Steve held out.

"Oh, believe me, I know. It's almost like you can't stop eating them, hence why I tend to stay away entirely. I just can't figure this thing out; my dad's case, that is.", the SEAL said as he pulled a malasada from the bag.

"Look, I talked with the Coast Guard, and they haven't found Hesse's body yet. But, that doesn't mean that they won't.", the blond stated as the green-eyed man bit into his doughnut/breakfast pastry.

"But what if he's alive? What if he goes back over the information his brother said they had on me and realizes that he missed a witness with Ana? I can't have her being put at risk! Maybe I should send her to live with my sister in LA?", Steve partially wondered aloud.

"Hey, they will find his body. You emptied a mag into the guy, so he's fish food. You will not send Ana away, because not only is it what your father did to you and Mary, but it would also emotionally devastate her. Ana has seen things no kid should ever should, but she's coping on a level that should be impossible. Something is going to happen one of these days, and she is going to break. When it all comes crashing down, it won't matter how strong she looks. Moana McGarrett will need her Daddy to be there and tell her it's okay to cry, to be angry, and to want to fight back against those who hurt her. Sending her away will only give her the same emotional walls and daddy-issues that you have. I can barely handle one emotionally stunted McGarrett. I don't need two of you like that!", Danny threw in a bit of humor to lighten the mood as he tried to explain to Steve that it was all going to be alright, and then Steve's cell phone went off to ruin the moment.

"Yes, Governor?", the SEAL answered.

Within the hour, they were at their newest crime scene. There were multiple dead bodies and two vehicles. The missing person they were now on the hunt for, Roland Lowery, had contracted the now dead men to be his bodyguards. Danny had determined that the van was stolen, Steve figured out Lowery's bullet-riddled car was supposed to be bullet-proof, and Chin had decided to access the traffic cameras. Kono went through Lowery's cell phone, and she was upset at what she found.

"Guys, Roland's last call was at 6:15 A.M.", she told her bosses.

"That was the same time as his abduction; who was it?", this was the part she hated having to say.

"His son, Evan.", and both of the single parents before her cringed.

"I hate it when kids get involved in stuff like this, but he's a witness.", Steve said resignedly.

Evan was beyond scared for his father, but Danny and Steve both knew he needed to be questioned. This boy was barely older than their daughters, and it was difficult and painful imagining either girl in Evan Lowery's shoes. Gently, they began questioning.

"Evan, do you know where your dad was going this morning?", Steve asked, and Evan shook his head.

"No. I mean, he probably told me, but I was only half-listening. It was some big meeting."

"Do you know what it was about?", Danny asked the boy, but Evan knew nothing.

"Did your dad ever have any disagreements with anyone? Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt him?", Steve asked, hoping for something other than a negative answer.

"No. I'm telling you, he's the most boring person you'll ever meet.", Evan said worriedly.

"What about your mom? Where is she?", Danny asked, and Evan's reply seemed to strike a nerve in Steve.

"She died when I was seven.", Danny took note of Steve flinching.

"Alright, listen, buddy. Those two other guys who were with your dad this morning, they were bodyguards. Do you have any idea why your dad would hire them?", he asked as calmly as he could manage.

"Seriously? Bodyguards? No, no way! I have no clue!", Evan was bordering on bursting into tears at this point. "That could have been the last time I talked to my dad, and I called him a dictator."

Just then, Kono led a blonde woman into the conference room. Evan hurried over to her, leaving the two men at the table wondering who she was.

"Evan, are you alright?", the woman asked him as Kono hung back a ways, motioning for her bosses to follow her.

"Who is she?", Steve asked the moment they exited the room.

"Roland's girlfriend, Natalie Reed.", Kono answered.

"Does she have any idea who might want to kidnap her boyfriend?", Danny asked, but Kono shook her head.

"No, she couldn't think of anything.", and now Kono was worried; it was an easy spot for Danny to find.

"Stay with them, in case this is a kidnapping for ransom. The kidnappers will want to make contact soon.", Steve regretted having to do this to her, but it was necessary.

"Look, just give us a few hours to run down some leads, and one of us will relieve you. We won't let you miss your graduation.", Danny assured her, and Kono gave him a smile as Chin walked up.

"Any luck on the security company?", Steve asked, hoping for good news.

"Roland hired them for a meeting he had this morning.", Chin said, but Steve knew there was more to this.

"Where were they going?", he asked, and the older man told him.

"Hickam Air Force Base.", Steve was now worried.

"You know anyone at Hickam? Right, of course you do. Stupid question!", Danny said to Steve as his partner merely began walking away.

At the base, they found out that Roland Lowery was paranoid and kept firing off memos at all hours of the night, and to the joint chiefs of staff at that. He claimed that Pearl Harbor was still vulnerable, and he had proof. Roland had not wanted to discuss it over the phone, so a meeting had been set up.

"That's why he was kidnapped.", Steve said, and Danny was inclined to agree.

Of course, as far as Danny was concerned, Chin calling to inform them of an injured runaway gunman from the kidnapping would end in Steve being reckless. They were chasing a man who had taken part in committing two murders earlier in the day through a hotel filled with innocent men, women, and children. While part of him knew this was the right thing to do, there was still a part of him that felt like slapping Steve McGarrett silly. Even so, they did still find the suspect, and he was alive. The guy woke with a start when Danny splashed him with the water hose on the hotel's roof.

"You have a nice nap, Princess?", Danny asked the guy, his New Jersey accent reaching a strength Steve had not yet heard. "Who are you? Huh?"

"The man asked you a question.", Chin added in, his side arm still in his hand.

"Where's Roland Lowery? What do you want with him?", Steve asked, yet they still received no answer; so, Danny stepped back in.

"Hey, I've been shot too. It's been what, about an hour or two since you got hit? Let me tell you, what's about to happen is bacterial infection is going to set in. After that, it'll turn into sepsis or worse. Then, next thing you know, they're ripping out your kidneys; and from what I head, dialysis isn't too fun.", but Steve was not satisfied.

The SEAL got down beside the nameless suspect and grabbed the guy's good arm. Taking the man's thumb, he pressed down onto the bleeding wound in the suspects shoulder and asked for a piece of paper.

"Run that print.", Steve barked out as he rolled the guy's thumb onto the paper and handed it back to Chin before getting up and pulling the nameless man with him to the edge of the building. "C'mon, Princess."

"Hey, whoa, what are you doing?", Danny called after his partner, who promptly pushed the suspect off the roof and caught the guy's legs.

While trying to "interrogate" the man, Steve and Danny argued until Chin returned with a fingerprint match.

"Ladies, you can stop now. I got a hit off of an Interpol database.", the native Hawaiian told the two.

"You and I are going to be having a long talk later.", Danny told Steve before they both pulled the suspect up.

"His name is Sergei Ivanovich; he's a Serbian national tied to a gang responsible for mostly snatch-n-grab type stuff.", Chin explained, and Danny nodded.

"So they're thieves. Thieves take things, not humans!", he tried to reason, but failed.

"Maybe they've graduated to kidnapping?", Chin offered.

"Or maybe, they knew what Roland was going to show the General and wanted to get their hands on it first.", Steve said before they broke into two groups: Chin would take Sergei to a holding cell, while Steve and Danny would investigate Roland's house.

Meanwhile, at her elementary school, Ana was just finishing up on her math assignment for the day. Her friend, Lily, was finishing up her assignment as well, and the girl was already asking Ana questions about the blond man in the Camaro who had dropped her off that morning. Ana sighed before answering her.

"He's my Uncle Danny. My dad took a job as team leader of a new task force the Governor set up, and Uncle Danny is his partner. My dad got distracted this morning, so Uncle Danny drove me here instead. He was taking his daughter, Grace, to school; it was on the way, so he said it was no big deal.", Ana answered as she wrote down the last answer on her paper.

"Is she older than us?", Lily asked excitedly.

"No, she's our age. Grace's mom and stepdad moved her here about seven months ago against her will, according to her; Uncle Danny followed them out here just to spend even just a little bit of time with her. Grace's mom decided to send her to a private school rather than a public school, so she goes to Sacred Hearts Academy. She hates it there.", Ana said quietly, her eyes never leaving her paper as she double checked her answers.

"Oh, wow!", Lily feigned enthusiasm at Ana's words, but the eight year old McGarrett could tell her friend did not mean a word she said; sometimes it paid to be from a law enforcement family.

Other times, of course, it did not. For instance, Kono was wishing that she had not looked up to her cousin so much and decided to take up "the family business." Why? Because, Kono had been kidnapped by Roland Lowery's supposed girlfriend, along with Evan. Apparently, Natalie was Serbian, just like the man Chin had called to tell her about. Of course, when Steve called to check in and warn her about Natalie, she tried to tell him where she was being forced to drive her car filled with Serbians and Evan to. Natalie, or Nadia, caught on and took her phone. It was promptly tossed out the window. Now, she had her hands bound behind her back with tape. She was sawing through it with a nail she picked up off the ground when she forced the male Serbian to knock her to the ground. That was when she looked over to the window on the door of the hangar they were being held in and saw Steve.

Steve motioned towards the roof, and Kono nodded slightly. While the others were distracted she turned to Evan and Roland, who had been taken to the hangar to use his creation to hide a plane landing at the airfield.

"Get ready to hit the ground.", she told them as Steve and Danny made their way over to the guards on the second level.

"When?", Roland asked.

"You'll know when.", she said, and within moments, shots were being fired.

Kono tackled Nadia, and they wrestled for the gun in the blonde's hands. A shot went off from the gun, and the bullet struck a propane tank in the corner of the room. Steve saw this and ordered everyone out of the hangar. Chin helped Kono and the Lowerys escape, shotgun in hand. Danny and Steve ran out behind the Serbian male, who they knew to be Drago Zankovic, just before the hangar exploded with Nadia still inside. Another of the people involved was killed by the blast as he made it to the doorway.

Steve and Danny grabbed Zankovic while Chin and Kono stayed with the considerably shaken up Roland and Evan.

"Book 'em, Danno.", Steve half-teased, and Danny groaned.

"Is that gonna become a thing with you?", he asked the SEAL.

"What, you don't like it? I think it's kind of catchy.", Steve answered simply before walking away, and, if Danny did not know any better, he would have thought Steve was flirting with him.

"Where are you going?", he called out to the retreating SEAL as he walked Zankovic to the Camaro.

"I still have the keys.", Steve answered matter-o-factly, and Danny let out another groan.

"You realize we still have to pick up the girls, right?", he asked, and Steve froze.

"It's nearly five, Danny, and I didn't have anyone to pick Ana up! What am I going to do? She could be in danger!", Steve was practically muttering to himself at this point.

"Relax, Steven! When we were leaving the Palace, I had Chin take care of that. While I may not trust the woman very much, I called Rachel. She agreed, because this was an emergency and she can't tell Grace that she can't go to Kono's graduation dinner, and she sent Grace's driver to pick up _both_ girls from school. More than likely, Grace will insist that Ana borrow something of hers to wear, they will giggle and have fun, and the girls will ask for more time together. Now as for the more pressing matter here, what are we going to do about Kono's graduation ceremony?", Danny responded, and Chin made his way over to them.

"I have an idea for that one.", the Asian man said with a smile, and the planning of Kono's surprise began.

Kono walked out of the locker room at headquarters and stopped suddenly. Before her stood her team in their various dress uniforms. She was highly confused. Steve gave her a smile as he presented her with a metal box. Inside she found a Kel-Tech 9mm. handgun. Danny gave her a St. Michael medallion. Chin's gift was a flashlight with a dedication printed on it:

 _To My Cousin,_

 _Who Always Brings Light to Darkness_

"And for the record," Chin said as he pinned Kono's badge to her shirt. "I wouldn't have missed your graduation for anything. Now raise your right hand."

As soon as Kono finished reciting her oath, she launched herself into her cousin's arms. Chin hugger her back tightly. When they parted, she looked at him hopefully.

"Are you still coming to my graduation dinner? I know my mom, and she so didn't cancel the reservations like I told her to.", she asked him, but Chin was unable to reply.

"You'd better tell Aunt Kono that you're going, Uncle Chin. Most of your relatives may not like you, but Aunt Kono is part of your Ohana. She wants you to be there, and you need to go. Plus, you always tell the best stories at parties, and Grace was looking forward to hearing some of them.", it was Ana, and Grace was at her side.

"Ana, Gracie, how did you two get here?", Steve asked, a smile still on his face.

"Danno called Mom, Mom called the driver, the drive dropped us off here. You almost make it sound like you're not happy to see us, Uncle Steve!", Grace replied with a giggle.

"So what do you say, Uncle Chin?", Ana asked, her turquoise eyes locked on her uncle.

"I say we best be on our way if we don't want to be any later.", he replied, and everyone cheered before following the cousins out of headquarters.

Later that night, after all but the team and Kono's parents had departed from Kono's graduation dinner, Chin was feeling dejected.

"I told you they all hated me, cousin.", he said, and Kono went to berate him, but Ana beat her to it again.

"Uncle Chin, if they didn't stand by you no matter what, then they aren't ohana. Your family and your relatives are two different things. Everybody here is your ohana, and we'll always be there for you. Please don't be sad!", Ana said as she hugged her surrogate uncle.

"Yeah, Uncle Chin, everybody here cares about you. You're stuck with us now, so just remember that you have an Ohana.", Grace added, joining in on the hug.

Chin smiled and wondered how he had managed to end up with nieces who happened to be the most loving, caring, and smart mouthed little girls he had ever met. Danny and Steve were both glad to know that they had at least one more person than each other to help them hide the body of the first boy to ever hurt and of the girls, Kono included.

"Thank you, girls. That means a lot to me. Oh, hey, Danny, I meant to ask earlier before everything happened, who's Toast?", Chin responded.

"He's a hacker I busted when I first got here six months ago, and he's generally a good kid. Of course, his name comes from his generally being extremely baked.", Danny told Chin and Kono quietly, trying to suppress a laugh.

The four talked for a little while longer while Ana and Grace listened to stories from Kono's mother. Eventually, the two single fathers decided it was time to take their daughters home, so everyone went his or her separate ways; each of the team planned on going home to ponder what they would face next.

 **A/N: So, here is the third chapter. I am hoping to do this episode by episode with shorter chapters in between. Yes, this story is headed in the direction of McDanno; no, I do not intend on making Catherine completely unlikeable; and yes, I will probably play up the dislikeable traits Rachel and Stan possess. I hope you will not mind this, and I hope you leave me lots of reviews! Thank you for reading!**


	4. Renovations, Roommates, and Real Sports

**A/N: I don't own Hawaii Five-0. Here we go, boys and girls! This chapter is all about a high school football game, gang wars, and certain intelligent little girls wreaking havoc on an unsuspecting detective and his barely tolerated living arrangements! R &R!**

Mid-Tuesday morning, the team was all gathered at headquarters in an attempt to get the paperwork on the previous day's case taken care of. It was not as if writing the reports was hard work, but Danny was having to teach Steve how to write them according to police procedure. To be truthful, however, Steve was making it difficult for Danny on purpose; he enjoyed watching the blond get worked up to the point of blowing a gasket.

Just as Danny emailed Steve both his corrected report and an annotated version of the original report Steve had sent him, the team leader and SEAL's cell phone went off. Everyone in the office held his or her breath while silently praying that they were not about to get another case this soon.

"McGarrett.", Steve answered, and when he smiled, everyone relaxed.

"Who is it?", Danny asked, and the other two nodded.

"It's just my contractor.", Steve answered before stepping leaving Danny's office for his own and closing the door.

Almost at once, Chin and Kono hurried over into Danny's office; the cousins were staring at Steve's office door as if it had magically turned bright orange.

"So he actually took your advice? I take it you told him about your uncle then?", Kono seemed to be filled with questions at this point.

"Yeah, I did. He was against it at first, but when Ana said she was having nightmares about going back into the house, he caved. Now, he's about two steps away from turning into Martha Stewart. When I picked him and Ana up this morning, there were interior design magazines everywhere; some even had those little sticky, color-coding tabs on them.", Danny answered min an exasperated tone, and the cousins snickered.

"What are you two laughing at?", Steve asked as he reentered Danny's office.

"Nothing, Boss. How's the house coming along?", Kono answered calmly.

"Oh, it's coming along just fine. The contractor just wanted to know how the second floor's interior needed to be reframed.", Steve answered her, even though he was certain there was something he was missing.

"Why are you having the entire second floor reframed?", Danny asked with a shake of his blond head.

"Not quite sure if you noticed when you were there, but everything is almost the same on the second floor of my house. It's a bit boxy, and the master bedroom severely lacks closet space.", Steve said, and the more Danny thought about it, the more he agreed.

"All of that is true, I will admit.", Danny said, his tone changing as he caught the look on his partner's face. "Chin, Kono, would you give us a minute, please?"

"Sure thing, Bosses.", Kono answered as she and Chin waltzed out of Danny's office.

"What's with the face?", he asked Steve, and the SEAL let out a sigh.

"Ana. Well, Ana and Grace.", he said, but Danny was highly confused.

"What about our daughters is causing that face?", the detective asked.

"The night they had their 'sleepover' in the master bedroom, Grace mentioned to Ana that you live in an apartment so small and terrible that she only puts up with because you are more important to her than where you live. Ana thinks you should be living somewhere better. Somehow, I'm supposed to convince you to stay with us, Ana's orders.", Steve explained, and Danny shook his head.

"I'd say I disagree with Grace's assessment of my place, but it was what I could get on short notice, given how quickly I made the decision to move here!", he said as he threw his hands in the air, and Steve chuckled.

"So it really is as pitiful as Grace said? Wow!", Danny balled up a blank piece of paper and threw it at his partner.

"Oh, grow up! Why is it such a big deal to the McGarrett family if I live in a crappy apartment?", he asked as Steve playfully tossed the paper ball back at him.

"From the moment Ana met you, and Grace, she adopted you into our ohana. As far as she is concerned, you two are stuck with the two of us.", Steve explained, and Danny fought to and failed at hiding his smile.

"How is this my life?", he asked sarcastically.

"You should consider yourself lucky to have this as your life, Williams!", Steve answered with a laugh, obviously joking around still.

"So, is Ana wanting me to move into the hotel with you guys or move into your house when the remodel's done?", Danny asked, his mind on the fence as to whether or not Steve may have actually been flirting with him before.

"To be honest, I think she's asking for both. Like I told you last week, she sees you as her savior. Ana has decided that, if I'm not there, you'll be there to keep the real monsters of the world away. She bonded with you because of your experiences with being a witness to a family member's death, and she feels like it's safe for her to talk to you about what happened. Ana loves you because you treat her like a person rather than a victim or a porcelain doll like most people might.", it was these words from Steve that got Danny thinking.

"Okay, fine, I'll do it. While both the hotel and your place are a lot nicer than my apartment, my main reason is you McGarretts.", he said, but Steve was now the confused one.

"What?", he asked, and Danny sighed.

"Seriously, Steven? Look, someone has to make sure that you both eat, sleep, make it to work or school on time, and all of that stuff. As it's the two of you, I am more than willing to be that person. I mean, I don't see anyone else signing up for the job after all.", Williams explained with a chuckle, and McGarrett laughed along with him.

"You really think moving in with us is a good idea?", he asked, and Danny nodded his head in reply. "Okay then. When should we start packing your things?"

"We can do that next weekend, hopefully. If Grace and Ana are happy with this, then the four of us combined can make packing that much faster.", Danny said, but Steve got his idea face on before he had even finished talking.

"Why don't we talk to them about it on the way to the game on Friday? It's just a high school game, but Chin and I both played quarterback for the school as teenagers; Kono also went there, and it's sort of a big deal. Would you and Grace be interested in going with us?", he asked his partner, and Danny gave him a smile.

"We'd love to go. I'll talk to Rachel when I take Grace home tomorrow afternoon. I think you need to go back to your office now, Steven, and send in those reports I helped you with and oh so kindly emailed to you.", he said as his smile turned into a smirk, and Steve merely stuck his tongue out at Danny as he moved back across to his office.

Friday evening, Danny picked up Grace and drove to the football field Steve told him the game would be at. The game had just started when the two met up with the rest of their Ohana. Grace took the seat between Kono and Ana, who was sitting in front of Chin's and Steve's legs. Danny sat down on the other side of the youngest McGarrett.

"Sorry we're late, guys!", Danny said to his three team members.

"I hate Friday afternoon tennis lessons.", Grace said to Ana, and the other girl nodded.

"I wish you could join me at my surfing lessons instead. Aunt Kono and I have way more fun with those.", she told Grace, and the Williams girl groaned.

"Danno, I wanna learn to surf!", Grace told her father.

"We'll have to ask your mother first.", Danny replied, secretly hoping Rachel would say surfing was a no-go.

"Surfing is a valuable skill to have in Hawaii, Danno. If Gracie wants to surf, she should be able to learn.", Steve said, and Grace beamed at him.

"Thank you, Uncle Steve!", she said, and Danny sighed.

"And she would have no better teacher than Kono.", Chin added, earning himself a smile from both Grace and his cousin.

"At least surfing is an actual sport compared to tennis.", Danny conceded.

"Why isn't tennis a sport?", Steve asked, and Danny was prepared with a rant.

"It can be played on a table, therefore it is an activity. Now, football, I throw the ball and you catch it; that's a sport.", he told his partner, and Steve just nodded as the girls started giggling at the two men.

"Danno, I'm hungry.", Grace said when the laughter from the two had quieted down.

"Monkey, we just ate an hour ago!", he laughed in reply.

"But we didn't eat nachos an hour ago!", Grace reasoned.

"Of course; we didn't! I'm being silly. Let's go get nachos.", Danny responded, and the two stood up.

"Bring me back some too?", Steve asked, Ana nodding in agreement before standing.

"Uncle Danny, wait up! I need to go to the bathroom!", Ana said, just loud enough for him to hear, in an urgent tone.

"C'mon, girls.", and the three walked away.

The three had been gone only moments before Chin began whispering to Steve. Chin Ho Kelly knew Steve's "secret" just as well as John, Doris, Mary, and Ana McGarrett did; he could also tell when Steve's emotional wall was beginning to crack due to having a wall of his own. It was a byproduct of his being trained by McGarrett senior.

"So, you crushing on our haole friend?", he asked quietly.

"What would give you even the slightest idea that I'm into guys?", Steve replied.

"I had my guesses about it in high school, when you were just the back-up quarterback and I only hung out with you because I felt I _had_ to. Kidding, but I've been taught to pay close attention to people my whole life, given my family business. However, it was your dad slipping up and telling me during my training that made me fully aware of who the real Steven John McGarrett was at the time. From a completely heterosexual male prospective, you could do worse than Danny.", Chin told him in barely more than a whisper.

"But it's not just me, Chin. No matter who I fall for, that person needs to be there for Ana as well.", Steve reasoned as his cellphone started ringing.

"And Danny isn't?", he asked as Steve answered his phone.

"Where are my nachos?", the SEAL asked, meaning the caller was Danny.

"The girls are in the bathroom, but I'm in front of you. There are two guys headed towards the field, and their strapped. Something's about to go down.", and he hung up.

Steve looked down and saw his partner plus the two men Danny had been following. Sighing, he leaned over to Chin and Kono. This was not going to be good.

"We've got trouble.", and the task force made its way down to the field.

Before they could apprehend the two men carrying guns, shots were being fired. One of the men who had been standing on the Kukui High School sideline was dead, Danny had shot one of the gunman, and Chin was chasing a man in black who had taken of running after the shooter had gone down. Steve cuffed the guy Danny had _not_ shot, and then he turned to his partner.

"Get the girls and take them back to the palace, the hotel, or your apartment. Text me when you get there, and I'll be over as soon as I get this one booked and those two in the morgue. Kono can take statements from you and them before you leave. Don't worry about calling Rachel. I'll handle that.", Steve practically ordered, but Danny merely nodded.

"Okay, I'll take care of the girls. But, you're taking the parenting duties next time an Ohana outing gets ruined.", and with that, Danny hurried back to where he had left the two girls with a friendly-looking, older Hawaiian woman.

When Danny found the two girls, who had been pushed along in the crowed as people began fleeing the stadium, he clutched them both to his chest in a tight hug. Grace seemed mostly okay, but Ana was terrified. It took Danny all of half-a-minute to understand why.

"Ana, sweetheart, Daddy put several rounds into Victor Hesse. He and his men can't hurt you anymore; and even if they could, neither Daddy nor I would let them. The men who had guns today were not after you or Daddy, I promise.", he assured her, rubbing small circles into her back as he spoke.

"Where's Daddy?", Ana asked with a slight sob.

"He's handcuffing the bad guys, angelfish. C'mon, let's get you two out of here.", he said before taking both of the girls by the hand and leading them out to the Camaro.

After determining which location would be the safest for them to go to, Danny drove the girls to his apartment. Once inside, he sent a text to Steve. He had barely sent it when he hear Ana's voice.

"This place really is miserable.", and then he sighed.

"I know, which is why I'm glad I won't be living here much longer.", he said, but he was met with two confused looking girls instead of the cheers he had been hoping for.

"Danno, you're not moving back to Jersey, are you?", Grace asked sadly.

"Grace, honey, where would you get that idea from? You do know that I'd die before I'd let you live an entire country away from me, right?", Danny asked his daughter, concern clear on his face.

"When you first moved here, I heard Mommy tell Step-Stan that you wouldn't like it here and that you would leave after you saw how happy I was with them.", Grace answered simply.

"That would never happen, monkey; plus, I don't think I would be allowed to leave my Ohana behind without a good reason. Grace, I will not leave Honolulu without you by my side, I promise.", Danny told her, the unspoken "I love you" not necessary.

"But where are you going to live if you won't be living here?", Ana asked, Grace nodding along as she hugged Danny tightly.

"Did you find a new apartment?", Grace asked.

"Sort of; because I know it's hard to be a single dad, I agreed to move in with a certain family of two on this island by the name of McGarrett. Are you two okay with that?", he said to the two girls, and they began shrieking with laughter.

"Yes!", they chorused, and then both girls began hugging Danny tighter than they ever had before.

"I take it they took the news of the change of your living arrangements well?", asked a laughing Steve from the front door.

"Oh, no, they hated the idea. How did you get here? Walk?", Danny replied sarcastically.

"Kono dropped me off. C'mon, we need to get to headquarters. Nai'a, do you think you and Gracie could sit in either Uncle Danny's or my office and watch a movie on the computer? I have a few of yours already there in case I needed to bring you to work with me for some reason.", Steve asked his daughter as Ana moved over towards him.

"We'll be fine, Daddy.", Ana insisted.

"Yeah, you two need to find the bad guys; we can watch a movie while you do.", Grace added, and the four left the apartment in the Camaro.

Once back and headquarters, with the girls safely tucked away in Danny's office, the two co-team leaders stood at the holographic digital imaging table in the center of the room with the evidence across it.

"So, what do we got?", Danny asked.

"Six friendlies wounded, two hostiles dead, and we think it's gang related; the Triads and the Samoans.", Steve explained.

"If this is a gang war, there can only be one winner.", Danny sighed.

"And the looser is whoever gets in their way. Danno, what's wrong? You've got that look of 'I'm going to kill someone if no one stops me' all over your face.", Steve's response only got a groan out of Danny.

"Rachel! She told Stan that I'd leave Hawaii if I thought Grace was happy with them, and Grace heard her. When I told them I wouldn't be living in my apartment for much longer, Grace asked if I was going back to New Jersey. My baby thought I would just abandon her like that, and I don't like it.", Danny was off to the races in his rant, and Steve could feel his own blood boiling as he heard what Grace had told her father.

"You would never leave Gracie! She's your daughter!", he added, and Danny nodded.

"Thank you! I'm expecting a phone call soon, as the case is probably going to be all over the news this evening.", he said to Steve, and, as if on cue, his cellphone rang.

"Put her on speaker. I swear on Ana's head that I won't say anything unless Rachel gets completely out of line.", he said, so Danny did.

"Hello, Rachel.", the blond said with a sigh.

" _Hello, Daniel. How soon can I expect Grace home? Assuming the task force you were put on is working this shooting, I would believe you would be forced to cut your weekend short._ ", the cold, British voice on the phone said.

"I am on this case, but I'm not cutting my time with Grace short. I'll spend time with her after work, which won't go on all night, and she can spend her days with Ana. The girls are actually quite happy to spend time together without their dads hovering over their shoulders. They get to debate _Supernatural_ characters without our input that way.", Danny stood his ground, and Steve felt proud of his partner and friend.

" _Daniel, I want her home in half-an-hour. You're too dangerous for Grace to be around; it seems as if danger follows you wherever you go._ ", Rachel snapped, and Steve was close to saying she was over the line.

"That is completely ridiculous, Rachel. She's safer _because_ I'm a cop; I suppose you also believe that Steve shouldn't have kept Ana because he happens to be a SEAL with your type of logic?", at that point, Steve was almost sure Danny _wanted_ him to go off on the blond's ex-wife.

" _I'm not saying that! That shouldn't have any bearing on Ana's safety! But if it does, then perhaps he shouldn't be raising a child!_ ", Rachel tried to cover for herself, but Steve took a deep breath before finally speaking.

"Hello, Rachel. This is Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, Danny's new partner and Ana's father; you do not know what my family has gone through, who my daughter and I are, or how important the word 'ohana' is to us. Danny and Grace, however, do. Danger follows Danny no more than it follows anyone else in this line of work; as far as today's shooting goes, do you think _I_ would even have brought _my_ daughter to the game if I had thought this might happen? No one plans for things like this, Rachel, so you should not and cannot blame Danny for what occurred on that football field. This task force, which he and I _co-lead_ , was designed specifically for things like this. It just so happens that it is our job to find out who's responsible and why they did it. Or would you rather us just let the criminals run amuck and put Grace in actual danger? Also, Grace told Danny and Ana something rather interesting earlier, and I'm willing to bet that you had no idea she was listening in when you said that Danny would leave Hawaii if he saw that Grace was happy with you and your new husband. I can speak from experience when I say that no decent father wants to be parted from his child unless the circumstances are dire. My mother died when an attempt was made on my father's life. He, a decorated police officer who was rather well known on this island, sent my sister and I away because he was sure there would be another attempt on his life and didn't want us in danger. My assignments for the Navy were crucial to the safety of this country, and therefore my only daughter, so I was away from her then. But a parent has to do something extremely horrible to a child before he or she would allow any stepparent, grandparent, or adoptive parent can take his or her place. While Danny may be a cop, one of the best cops in Hawaii, he is _definitely_ not a danger to Grace and _cannot_ be replaced by Stan.", Danny, to say the least, was impressed with his partner's rant; it was almost worthy of being a Williams' rant.

"Thank you, Steven. You heard him, Rachel, and I'm serious about keeping Grace for my full time this weekend. I've got to work, so we'll talk later. Bye.", and Danny hung up without another word.

"I'm sorry about that. She just got under my skin too deep with tha last comment about me raising Ana.", Steve said with a blush.

"No, you're right. Steve, Rachel was out of line and needed to hear what you had to say. She doesn't know enough about your family to pass judgment on you, and she has no right to say I'm a danger to Grace. If she gets angry enough to take this to court, I would be happy if you would say everything you just said to a judge, only a little clearer and more detailed.", Danny assured him, and Steve chuckled.

"Okay, deal. We should probably get to work now. Chin and Kono will be up here any minute.", and so they did.

"What else did you get?", Danny asked, and Steve was quick to pull up a picture of the victim and of the Kukui Kings' quarterback.

"The quarterback, Junior, is our victim's nephew. I caught him in the locker room after the EMTs released him, and he had a paper bag with a gun in it. I sat him down, talked with him about why he shouldn't try for revenge, and I let him go. I took the gun, and it is now with the evidence.", McGarrett explained, but Williams was sputtering.

"You let a kid, who had a gun, go?", he asked his partner.

"What did you want me to do, book him? Danno, he's just a kid; a member of his family was killed today, and he probably feels as if it's either he does something about it or no one else will. I told him why that was wrong, and, considering he's still trying to break my records, the kid seemed to listen. God, this conversation wouldn't have even been happening back when I was a kid. On this island back then, you could leave your doors unlocked and get friendly with complete strangers without worry.", Steve explained, and Danny nodded.

"When I was a kid, if you were in a street fight, you went home and locked your doors twice because you knew someone was coming back with a gun. To be honest, I think Hawaii's just catching up with the times.", he told Steve, and the SEAL was starting to think the detective was correct in his statement.

"Junior was able to id the shooters. I'm going to see if Kono can watch the girls for a bit while we go and bring the remaining guy in, okay?", and Danny just nodded.

An hour later, with the suspect in custody, Steve and Danny were discussing the best way to pack Danny's belongings when Chin marched a large man into the room. The two left Danny's office with matching looks of confusion on their faces as they approached. Chin saw this, and then he took a deep breath.

"What's going on here?", Steve asked.

"This is Sid; he was at the football game today.", Chin answered as Kono rounded the corner with Ana and Grace trailing behind her.

"Kono? Don't tell me you're working with him?", the large man asked, and that only increased the confusion.

"How do you know each other?", Danny asked.

"He's our cousin.", Chin and Kono chorused.

"That explains a lot.", Ana deadpanned.

"Explains what, little I'a?", Chin asked his honorary niece.

"It explains why he treats you like that. Uncle Chin, would you walk with Grace and me to the vending machine?", Ana did her best to stay polite, and Steve was honestly proud of the way she handled herself.

"Sure, girls; let's go.", and Chin walked off with the two eight year olds, both of whom were helping tremendously with his stress level.

"I'm also a cop, undercover. Why are there kids here?", Sid responded, and the team leaders shared a look.

"I'm on it! Kono, try not to get blood on anything!", Danny called out as Steve and Kono escorted Sid into the interrogation room.

At the vending machine, it finally hit Chin as to what Ana had done by asking him to walk with them to get their snacks. The little genius had managed to distract him from his family's hatred of him long enough for him to cool down. Chin counted it as another reason he wanted to get her IQ checked.

"Thank you for distracting me, Ana. It gave me time to cool down. Grace, thank you for not saying whatever was on your mind, because, if you're anything like your father, it probably was not anything nice. Everyone have a snack?", the two girls giggled and nodded at him.

"You're welcome, Uncle Chin!", they said as one, hugging him when he knelt down.

Inside the interrogation room, Sid was trying to berate Kono. She, however, was having none of it. Kono, if she was even paying attention, was attempting to glare at Sid until he exploded into a million tiny pieces.

"You could have done anything else, but you chose to work with him? Kono, you can do so much better than working with a dirty cop!", Sid said, but his cousin merely tilted her head to the side and continued to glare.

"He is not a dirty cop.", Steve said firmly, but Sid laughed.

"How would you know, haole?", he asked.

"One, I was _born_ here. Two, I am a US Navy SEAL; if Chin would have lied to me, I'd have had him figured out in an instant. He was hand-picked by my father to be on this task force, on _my_ task force, and I will not allow any name-calling or reputation-smearing in front of my daughter or niece. I expect Kono feels the same way.", Steve explained, his voice level.

"Who's your father? Those girls are yours?", Sid asked as Danny entered the room.

"He checks out with HPD; he's part of the Gang Unit.", the blond said.

"Okay, that makes sense. You're quitting the force was your cover, right? Yeah, the one who spoke is my daughter, Ana. The other girl is my partner's daughter, Grace. I will warn you, it should really be them that you fear; Ana and Gracie love their Uncle Chin, as well as their Auntie Kono, fiercely.", McGarrett replied, turning to Sid as he spoke.

"Yeah, that was my cover. I was supposed to get in, get names of the higher ups, and bring down the Samoans. You didn't answer my first question.", Sid answered, and Steve nodded.

"John McGarrett. He trained Chin, never believed him to be guilty, and personally picked him for this task force. My father's years of service went a long way to helping the Governor decide who to ask for help in forming this team.", he answered as dryly as he could manage.

"Kono, can you go check on Chin and the girls? Sid, you need to tell us all you know about the Samoans.", Danny said.

Kono walked out of the room to find Chin leaning against the wall alone.

"The girls are back in Steve's office watching their movie. How's it going with him?", he asked her as if were nothing.

"Boss is scaring the pants off of him, and Other-Boss verified that Sid's been working undercover with the Gang Unit to bring down the Samoans. You saw him at the game, didn't you? You let him go?", she asked.

"He wasn't involved with the shooting. He was just trying to run away.", Chin reasoned.

"Don't tell me, he got a free pass because he is family. If you've listened to Ana and Grace at all over the last few weeks, you'd know blood of the covenant is stronger than the water of the womb. They didn't do that for you, so why bother doing that for them.", Kono said before going back towards the vending machine herself.

A few hours later, going off of a tip from Sid, Steve and Danny had the owner of a pizza parlor that had been smuggling guns to the Samoans in the middle of the ocean. There was a tourist shark cage, and Steve had another crazy plan. They needed to get some sort of information out of this guy, Joey, soon or work would go into the night. Naturally, this meant tossing Joey into the shark cage without telling him that the Galapagos sharks around it were harmless to humans. Instead, Steve and Danny sat on a boat several yards away, just waiting for Joey to be scared enough to talk.

"What are you going to do about Rachel? You know I probably made her angrier; she probably has the same mentality as I do about other people trying to give orders as to how best my own child should be raised.", Steve asked, and Danny shrugged; Rachel's lawyer had called him as he and Steve were in-route to the pizza parlor, and Rachel was taking Danny to court to have his visitation revoked.

"I don't know. You understand more than anyone that Grace is my life. Without her, I don't know what I'd do or if I'd still be here.", the blond answered, and Steve looked hurt.

"You'd leave if Rachel kept you from seeing Grace?", he asked.

"Not until I'd exhausted every resource and failed at getting Grace back, no. Even then, I wouldn't be so sure; it's your fault, actually.", Danny mused.

"Why is that my fault?", Steve asked with a smile.

"Well, until you came along, Meka was really my only friend on the island. Now, I've got you, Chin, and Kono to try and keep me here. If you hadn't been trying to track down the Hesse brothers, our paths probably never would have crossed. So, by that train of thought, it's your fault if I stay here in the event Rachel is able to keep me from seeing Grace.", Danny's explanation was enough to make Steve outright laugh.

"If so, then I'm glad I was tracking down Victor and Anton.", he told Danny as Joey's screams sounded in the background.

"We should probable get him now, shouldn't we?", Danny asked with a laugh of his own.

"Yeah, let's go get him.", Steve added, still laughing himself.

Of course, the information Joey had gave them plans for Saturday night. As it so happened, the ring leader of the whole operation was a crime boss from New Jersey that Danny knew the reputation of well; he would be in town to oversee an illegal casino Saturday night, and Sid was their ticket in. Chin had agreed to run surveillance from the van; now they just needed to find a babysitter for the girls.

Saturday started out with the McGarretts and the Williamses searching for boxes to pack Danny's belongings in. It was determined that all of the actual packing would take place in two weeks after Danny had a chance to talk with his landlady; he didn't want to have to break his lease, but Danny felt that Ana and Steve needed him more than he needed his security deposit. So, at the cost of his five-hundred dollar loss, Danny was with Steve and the girls on a hunt for boxes. Most of his larger belongings would go into the storage locker Steve had rented for the big furniture from his house; Danny's clothes would be going with him to the Kahala.

"Hey, Danno, why not just buy plastic totes? These you can reuse in the future.", Steve asked, and Danny shot him an odd look.

"You planning on kicking me out already, McGarrett?", he teasingly asked.

"Not yet, but you can use the plastic totes to store things that you don't have room for but want to hang on to, like I did with all of Ana's baby clothes and toys.", Steve replied with a good-natured chuckle.

"That's true. If I get them, will you shut up about it?", was Danny's response after a moment or two of thought.

"Of course; I wouldn't have anything to complain about that way, now, would I?", Steve said to him with a smirk.

"You, my friend, are an ass!", Danny told him as the girls began giggling.

"Maybe, but you love me anyway, Danno!", Steve stated, grinning ear-to-ear.

"Somehow!", was Danny's only further statement, and the girls only giggled harder.

As the two men continued bickering while picking out boxes, Ana turned to Grace while shaking her head.

"This might not be so difficult after all!", she whispered with glee.

"It's like they're married already!", Grace added, and the two snickered at the clueless and still-bickering partners.

The four arrived back at Danny's apartment to find a small Toyota in front. Steve was perplexed, but Danny waved him off. He knew the car well enough, after all.

"It's just my landlady, Steven, no need to draw your weapon on her.", Danny teased, and the sound of giggling floated up from the backseat of the Camaro.

"What am I going to do with you three?", Steve asked as he and Danny opened their doors and got out of the car.

"Love us and keep us forever?", Ana offered as the two men opened the two rear passenger doors.

"Sounds like a plan, nai'a!", Ana giggled as her father picked her up out of the car and swung her onto his hip.

"Hear that, Danno? Uncle Steve loves _all_ of us!", Grace said, stressing the word "all" while smiling conspiratorially at Ana.

"I heard him, monkey, I heard him.", Danny told her as he let her climb onto his back.

"Well, now who are these two sweet people I see? Did my New Jersey native finally make some friends?", the landlady, Mrs. Akoni, asked as she rose from her seat near the porch.

"Afternoon, Mrs. Akoni, I hope you're well. This is my new partner at work, Steve McGarrett, and his daughter and Grace's best friend, Ana.", Danny greeted the older woman kindly, and she smiled back at him.

"Danny, I have told you many times to call me Kehaulani; now, why do I get the feeling that you are about to tell me something I may or may not want to hear?", she replied, smiling and waving at Grace.

"It's probably because I am, Kehaulani. Steve, here, like myself, is a single parent. Only, in his case, he doesn't have an ex-wife who will take Ana away. Her mother signed away her parental rights when Ana was a newborn, so he's raised her with the help of his father. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, his father was John McGarrett. So that Steve doesn't have to send Ana away to live with relatives she barely knows and I can stop hearing about how my apartment isn't fit for children, I agreed to move in with the two of them. I hope you won't get upset if I break my lease?", the last part of Danny's answer was more of a question, and Steve's phone rang as the words were said.

"McGarrett. You got him to agree? What time? Let me ask Danny.", Steve turned to his partner as he answered the call.

"Sid's gonna get us in?", he asked, and Steve nodded.

"The only problem is that it's tonight and we have no one to watch either of the girls without you relenting and taking Grace home early.", McGarrett told him.

"I may have a solution, gentlemen.", Kehaulani said, gaining both of the men's attention.

"What is it?", Danny asked hopefully.

"You're security deposit was $300. I babysit the girls until tomorrow morning, and we'll call that deposit my payment. Oh, and tell that niece of mine on the phone to be careful around all of those sleazy men at the illegal casino Sid's helping you into tonight, okay? Not everyone can handle Kono Kalakaua.", and the two were floored.

" _Is that my Aunt Kehaulani? What are you two doing with her?_ ", they heard Kono ask as Steve held the phone up in between their heads.

"She's my landlady.", Danny answered in awe.

" _This is a small island, and I have a large family. It's really no surprise, to be honest._ ", Kono said, and Kehaulani laughed.

"It figures I'd run into one of Chin and Kono's various family members sooner or later outside of work. I did see how many people were at Kono's graduation dinner.", Danny whispered to Steve, who chuckled along with the girls who had been listening.

By the time it was all said and done, everyone on the task force plus Sid had left the illegal casino alive. Sunday, after most of the paperwork had been taken care of, the team plus the two eight year old girls had gathered around one of the TV monitors in headquarters. Steve and Danny had walked in during the middle of what appeared to be footage of a football game.

"What are we watching?", Steve asked as Ana skipped over to him.

"You getting your ass handed to you in the State Championship.", Kono answered.

"Kukui put all of the old games online.", Chin answered while stroking Grace's hair as she sat in his lap.

"Ooh! You just got sacked, Boss! You should've passed.", Kono said with a smile, but Steve just smirked at her.

"Why pass when you can run?", he responded, and even Danny was amazed at what was playing out on the screen before them.

Teenage Steve was bobbing and weaving, shaking tackles, and diving over people to get into the end-zone and score a touchdown. Danny felt sure that Steve could have gone pro if he hadn't gone into the Navy.

"Okay, I've got to admit, that was a pretty impressive play. Your dad could not stop screaming.", Chin said, and everyone was shocked into silence.

"You were there with my dad?", Steve asked.

"Yeah; I was fresh out of the academy and he was my training officer. I'll tell ya, any day that Steve McGarrett was starting as quarterback was an official day off.

"I just got one more question.", Danny asked. "What's the quarterback doing wearing the number 50?"

"Not 50, Five-0.", Steve and Ana corrected him simultaneously.

"Yeah, 50.", Danny responded.

"No, Five-0. It's what my dad used to call us. Since we weren't native Hawaiians, he called us Five-0's, after the fiftieth state in the union. It made us feel like we belonged.", Steve clarified for his team and Grace, Ana nodding along with his words.

"I like that; Five-0.", Kono said after a moment, and the others nodded.

"Hawaii Five-0, the Governor's Task Force? Well, that's a better name than Strike Force. All in favor?", Danny said teasingly towards Kono, who merely stuck out her tongue before raising her hand along with Chin and Steve.

"All opposed?", when no one raised his or her hand, it was decided.

"We are now the Five-0 Unit. Let's finish this game, and then Danny and I have to get the girls fed and get Grace back to Rachel.", Steve said, and that is what the Ohana did.

 **A/N: No, I am not somehow incapacitated as some of you may have thought. Recently, my grandmother, who was more like a second mother to me, passed away from autoimmune hepatitis. This whole last couple of months has been difficult for me and my family, as we have been put in the position of facing our first holiday season without the one person who held our family together, so I have been highly distracted; most of my time has been spent with my young cousin who my grandmother practically raised, and she kept me focused on my upcoming** _ **Supernatural**_ **fanfiction. But fear not, dear readers, as I refuse to abandon this story!** _ **Hawaii Five-0**_ **was one of the shows my grandmother liked, so I will be doing this for her from here on out. I hope you enjoy it, and yes, this story is headed in the direction of McDanno; no, I do not intend on making Catherine completely unlikeable; and yes, I will probably play up the dislikeable traits Rachel and Stan possess. I hope you will not mind this, and I hope you leave me lots of reviews! Thank you for reading!**


	5. Moana Rose Meets Mary Ann

**A/N: I don't own Hawaii Five-0. Here we go, boys and girls! This chapter is all about why one should always remember to keep family members in the loop! R &R!**

Sunday night, as the four sat at a table in a diner that John McGarrett had taken Steve to quite frequently as a child, Steve realized what day the next day was. Looking over at Danny with a panicked expression on his face, Steve cleared his throat. Danny raised his eyes to meet Steve's with the look of "what now?" plain on his face.

"My sister's flying in tomorrow, and I only just remembered.", McGarrett said with an actual blush, and Danny sighed.

"What doesn't your sister know about that you're panicking over?", Williams asked as he began rubbing his forehead.

"I have managed to have maybe four full conversations with my sister since we were sent to the mainland, and we've really only had one phone call between the two of us every year. Mary's never met Ana; there's also a chance she doesn't even _know_ about Ana. My conversations have never been very lengthy with her usually due to those calls just being me calling her on her birthday no matter what war-torn area I was in at the time, and I don't even know if she spoke to our dad in the last eight years. What am I supposed to do?", Steve lowered his voice, as to not allow his mischievous eight-year-old hear him, and practically begged Danny for an answer.

"Meet her at the airport tomorrow after you pick up your truck from the dealership. I'll drop you off there, take Ana to school, and go to my doctor's appointment after that; so don't worry about that. While you're on the way to the hotel, tell her everything she needs to know. The best way to handle this is by being completely honest with your sister. Mary might be upset at first, but she'll forget about being upset the second she meets Ana. I have first-hand knowledge of how my little angelfish can make someone love her with next-to-no effort.", Danny replied as he looked over to see Ana and Grace having a quiet conversation of their own.

"You're right, Danno. I just have to be honest with Mary about the situation. Why are you going to the doctor?", Steve knew he would hate it if his partner was sick.

"I tore my ACL in high school, playing baseball, and my knee flares up sometimes. I think all of the excitement we've had over the last couple of weeks aggravated it. If the doctor says it's worse than I'm saying it is, I'll probably be walking with my cane for the next little while. It's happened before, back in Jersey.", Danny explained, assuring his friend that he was okay.

"Danno, did you hurt your knee again?", Grace asked, picking up on the conversation the adults were having.

"I don't know how badly, but it aches a bit, monkey. I've got to go see my doctor in the morning. Do you want me to call you tomorrow night and let you know what my doctor said? I know you, Grace Marie, are a lot like your Nonna in the sense that you can't stop worrying about me for two seconds if you think something might be wrong with my health.", Danny teased his daughter, and Grace giggled before nodding to her father's question.

"If you didn't get so secretive when you get sick, I wouldn't worry so much about when you actually go to the doctor!", she responded with a laugh.

"My health is not yours to worry about until I'm either dying or _really_ old, okay?", Danny said to her, and Grace nodded.

"Just don't die until you're _really_ old, okay?", was her reply, and everyone at the table had to let out a laugh at that.

"I'll try my best, monkey, but you know how crazy your Uncle Steve can be sometimes. I don't know if my poor heart can take many more of his stunts and insane ideas!", Danny added dramatically, only for Steve to throw a fry at him from across the table, resulting in more laughter.

The next morning, Steve went to the airport and Danny went to the doctor's once Ana had been dropped off at school. Steve stood around the baggage claim, waiting for Mary to appear, until an officer approached him. This, oddly enough, seemed far more likely than Mary actually just showing up like she was supposed to.

"Is this about my sister?", he asked the officer, who nodded.

"She disabled a smoke detector onboard the plane, which is a federal offence. We arrested her as soon as the plane landed.", the officer explained, and Steve sighed.

Nearly as soon as he entered the room, Steve asked for Mary to be released into his custody, and the officers went to check to be sure that it would be okay to do that sort of thing. Steve, reining in his anger, turned to his sister. This discussion needed to be done calmly, a voice in the back of his mind told him. Though, he wasn't quite sure as to why the voice sounded so much like Danny.

"I'm sorry, Steve, I messed up!", his younger sister was quick to admit.

"Mare, you missed your dad's funeral.", he told her, his eyes searching hers for an answer he knew was unlikely to be given.

"Something came up.", the blonde retorted.

"You say that, but there was someone at that funeral who might have needed you, and you weren't there.", he said, his daughter's face at the aforementioned funeral occurred clear in his mind.

"Who, Steve, you?", Mary asked, proving what Steve had feared to be true.

"No, Mary Ann, your niece.", Mary was floored by her brother's statement.

"You have a kid?", she asked slowly.

"Yeah, I do. Moana Rose McGarrett, usually just called Ana, is my eight year old daughter. I would have told you myself if I could have, I _did_ try to tell you about your niece just after she was born, and I didn't know that Dad hadn't actually told you.", he said, unable to stop himself from smiling.

"Did you get married and not invite me to the wedding?", Mary asked, only half-serious.

"No, actually. Ana's mother left her with me and refuses to acknowledge that she even gave birth to a child. My new work partner, Danny Williams, has been kind enough to move in with us and help me out. He's got a daughter Ana's age, Grace, who he has limited visitation with because of his ex-wife and her new, rich, land developer of a husband. Grace and Ana are best friends already, and they couldn't be more excited.", Steve explained, and Mary shook her head in disbelief.

"How are we all fitting in the house?", she asked, and Steve cringed a bit.

"We aren't. I'm renovating and remodeling the house, Mary. Ana hasn't been able to as much as look at it without remembering what happened. She was in the house when Dad died, and she was stuck there until the cops, led by Danny on this investigation in particular, arrived. I picked her up at the police station that evening almost as soon as I got here. I need Ana to stop associating her home with her grandfather's death, and this is the way to go. For now, we're all staying in the Presidential Suite at the Kahala hotel. As long as you don't object, you can take the master bedroom with Ana for the length of your visit. Ana can sleep on the couch if you're uncomfortable around her. Danny and I will be in the second bedroom, as it has two queen beds. Is there anything you aren't okay with, Mare?", Steve asked her, and Mary nodded.

"I'm extremely uncomfortable with the thought of you sharing a room with your new crush. As your sister, I know you well enough to tell that you're crushing hard on this Danny guy. You two definitely shouldn't be getting up to anything PG-13 and up as long as Ana and I are around.", she told him, and Steve turned scarlet.

"Mary, I don't think he's into me. Danny seems straight as an arrow, too.", he said, but his sister merely sighed.

"This is why I always wanted us to have, like, a family picnic or something in between Mom and Dad's funerals. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you have pretty much no clue how to tell is a guy likes you!", she told him through giggled.

"A picnic?", Steve asked, and she nodded.

"Yeah, a picnic, something that normal families do.", Mary said as Steve's cellphone began ringing loudly.

"McGarrett.", she heard him answer, and then he was leading her out the door.

At Halawa Correctional Facility, Steve asked Mary to wait in the truck until either he got back or someone was sent by Steve to take her to Five-0 headquarters. He met up with Danny almost at once, and he cringed a bit at the sight of his partner's new cane.

"So, what's the verdict?", he asked, looking Danny up and down for the sheer purpose of making sure he hadn't caused any other injuries, or that's what he'd tell Kono and Mary anyway.

"Tore my ACL, again, and now I'm stuck with this thing. As for this mess, we've got an escaped prisoner; three guards are dead, and Department of Public Safety is trying to figure out what happened.", Danny replied, gesturing towards his cane before telling Steve about the case.

"Where are Chin and Kono?", Steve asked, slowing his pace to match Danny's.

"They're already inside. So, you've got Mary in the car?", Danny responded, looking over towards the blue Silverado.

"Yeah, and picking her up was a bigger task than it should have been: she disabled a smoke detector onboard the plane.", the SEAL whispered the last part, but Danny still heard him loud and clear.

"We'll get as much done here as we can, and then you can take her to go pick up Ana. I'll head back to HQ with Chin and Kono, and we can start going whatever evidence we've got, okay? That seems fair, as you'll probably just bring both Mary and Ana back to HQ with you.", the New Jersey native offered, and the Hawaiian-born man nodded in agreement as the other half of their team walked up.

"Hey, so our escapee's name is Walton Dawkins. Originally from the mainland, he did time in Cleveland for a string of B&E's. Our guy apparently likes hitting targets with big money.", Chin said to the two, Kono nodding along slightly.

"How did he end up here?", Danny asked, and Chin nodded as if to agree with the blond man's train of thought.

"He violated his parole by coming to Hawaii six years ago. My guess, it wasn't for the surf.", the rather Zen Hawaiian said, and then Kono joined in.

"Dawkins killed a young couple during one of his burglaries.", she stated, and Chin took back over.

"But get this, the warden says Dawkins has been a model prisoner up until now.", he told the team, all of whom were curious about that fact.

"What changed?", Danny asked, and the team headed inside for Steve and Danny to view security footage.

"Just before the inmate collapsed, he was complaining of shortness of breath and pain through the arm; all the classic signs of cardiac arrest.", Danny told Steve, but the SEAL seemed doubtful of this.

"He seems a little young to be dropping dead of a heart attack.", he said to his partner.

"Not if he was poisoned.", Chin told the two as he and Kono reentered the room.

"We found this stuff in Dawkins cell.", Kono said, referring to the jar in her cousin's hand.

"Nutmeg.", the Zen Hawaiian finished, holding up the small jar.

"That's right, they've got the prison bake sale coming up.", Danny said sarcastically, but Steve cut in.

"Hang on a second, Danno; you can extract myristicin from nutmeg. It's an organic compound, it has psychoactive properties. It works like a drug, and in large doses, it's lethal and fast-acting.", McGarrett explained.

"So Dawkins poisons an inmate as a distraction, shoots a few guards down, and walks out the door wearing one of their uniforms.", Danny surmised.

"In broad daylight? I mean, this feels like a lot of unnecessary exposure for someone trying to sneak out the door.", Steve countered.

"Price of freedom?", Chin offered.

"Maybe he didn't think he'd have time to dig a tunnel. What else have we got?", Steve asked, and Kono took that as her queue.

"One of the maintenance guys reported his car stolen; we got HPD a description.", she told her teammates, but Danny was quick to respond.

"Assume Dawkins counted on this happening. He'll have ditched the car.", he stated, and Chin nodded.

"But we'll find it, and it'll maybe tell us where he's going.", he said, but Steve drew the three's attention back to the video.

"Look at the guard's holster.", he said, and the three did as told.

"The safety strap's undone. Wait a minute, what the hell he doing with a gun anyway? Weapons are for towers, gates, and transports only.", Danny asked, not trusting the guard as much as the others.

"Maybe it was a rookie mistake?", Chin supplied, but Danny shook his head.

"No, he's in on it, and he wanted Dawkins to have that gun.", he told his teammates confidently.

"What's in it for the guard?", Kono asked.

"Not sure, but whatever it was is worth putting an armed and dangerous criminal back out on the streets.", Steve answered, sharing a knowing look with Danny as the two men stood up and made to leave the room.

"Where are you two going?", Kono asked.

"Danny and I can finish up here. Chin, stay behind if you feel it necessary. Kono, my sister is out front in my truck; could you, would you, please go and get her and the pick Ana up from school for me, please?", Steve answered, and Kono laughed at his words.

"You honestly think I would pass up a chance at stories about you as a child _and_ getting to spend time with one of my two favorite nieces?", she asked him, swatting at his shoulder and giving him a smile.

"The sad part is, Kono has biological nieces and nephews that Ana and Grace outrank on her list of favorites.", Chin said with a chuckle as he and his cousin left the room and parted ways with the team's two leaders.

In the guard's locker room, Steve and Danny found the guard who helped Dawkins escape. As it turned out, Dawkins had promised the guard money if he helped him. With the guard providing no more useful information, the two men left to find someone who might know more about what Dawkins was after.

Later on, back at headquarters, Chin and the girls watched as Steve and Danny entered bickering like an old married couple. Ana giggled, Mary shook her head, Kono closed her eyes and put her head in her hands, and Chin just smiled. Those two were completely clueless.

"I don't know why he said that, but at least we got some information out of the inmates after all.", Steve said with a shrug, and Danny sighed.

"True. It could've gone worse.", the Jersey native agreed.

"What happened?", Kono asked, finally trusting herself to speak.

"I had to play basketball against the inmates for their cooperation.", Steve said, and Ana and Mary groaned.

"What?", Kono asked, looking at the two McGarrett females.

"Daddy's not very good at basketball. He's a football player for a reason.", Ana said without hesitation, making Steve smile.

"I would've played, but I've managed to tear my ACL after the last few weeks of working with this walking disaster.", Danny joked, and Steve chuckled at this.

"We might have been arguing while I played, and one of the inmates asked us how long we'd been married. Where would they get the idea to use that as a way to make fun of us and get my off my game?", the SEAL asked.

"Or lack thereof?", Danny added.

"Who knows.", Chin said sarcastically, heading over to the center of the room.

"So, what information did you get from the inmates at Halawa?", Kono asked.

"Dawkins apparently flipped out over a contestant on a game show who won a trip to Oahu and a million dollars. We've just got to figure out which one.", Steve answered confusedly.

As it turned out, Dawkins was after the fiancé of the game show winner. Craig was actually a man named Paul Stark who Dawkins had been partners with years earlier and believed to be dead. Dawkins ended up shooting the game show winner, Dana, in the hotel suite the couple was staying in and shot Craig/Paul after the man got $4 million out of the bank for him. Both were taken to the hospital for surgery, and the Five-0 team was on the chase.

"Boss, we're about to lose traffic-cam footage in two seconds. I'm sorry, but there are no other cameras on that road.", Kono told Chin and Steve over the phone, as Dawkins had driven away from the airport upon seeing the police checkpoint.

"It's fine, Kono. Get back to HQ and help Danny. I have a backup plan.", Steve said, earning a strange look from Chin as he hung up and then dialed another number.

" _Why, hello there, sailor._ ", came a woman's voice from over the phone, and Chin shot Steve a look almost as incredulous as the one Danny would have given him had he been there.

"Cath, I need your help. I'm perusing a suspect in a black Mercedes headed into the Halawa Valley. Can you give me a visual?", he asked, temporarily ignoring Chin.

After a brief argument, Catherine got a visual on Dawkins. Steve knew what was coming next, and he took a breath.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. Next leave, beers are on me.", he told her.

"You are not getting off that easy.", Catherine countered, but Steve sighed.

"Actually, I am. Ana and I haven't moved back into the house yet, as it's still undergoing renovations, and my sister's in town while she gets to know Ana.", Steve said, and Chin payed even closer attention to the conversation now.

"Who's Ana?", Catherine asked.

"Ana would be Moana Rose McGarrett, the newborn daughter you left in my arms just over eight years ago. She was in the house with my dad when he was shot, and now she's been severely traumatized. Luckily, my current partner and best friend, Danny, had a similar experience as a teenager and has been helping her where I cannot. His daughter, Grace, is Ana's best friend.", Steve explained, and Chin could not believe what he heard next.

"You kept it?", his niece was _not_ an it.

" _My_ daughter is not an _it_ , Catherine. _My_ daughter is a wonderful little girl who didn't even know how easily her own mother gave her up until a few weeks ago because I thought she deserved to know she was loved. Now, because she is inherently curious as a McGarrett, Ana knows your name, what you did, and how many times I have tried to get you to acknowledge her existence. Thank you for your help today, Lt. Rollins.", Steve's voice went as cold as Chin's thoughts at Catherine's comment, and Chin was glad to see that.

"I hate to say it, Steve, but Danny was just as right about your technically ex as you were about his. You deserve better than a woman who can't even acknowledge the child you share is an actual human being.", was all he said before the satellite feed showed up on Steve's phone; it had been too late for Catherine to take the link to the feed away when Steve had hung up on her.

After killing Dawkins and rescuing the family whose helicopter tour Dawkins had hi-jacked in order to get away, Steve returned to HQ with Chin. There, he found Ana doing her homework in Danny's office while the three adults, the other half of the team and Mary, sat in Steve's office talking about something animatedly.

"No! You did not do that, Other Boss!", Kono gushed loud enough for them to hear through the slightly ajar door, but Danny shook his head with a smirk plastered on his face.

"I did. When the captain of my high school football team said that, even if he was into guys, he'd never go out with a short and mouthy baseball player like me, I told him that was because I had much better taste than the likes of him.", they heard Danny admit, and Steve felt his heart pump faster at his partner's words.

"So both you and Boss are bi-sexual? I totally see the possibility of something there. He's totally got a crush on you, Danny.", Kono said, and Mary nodded.

"I haven't seen him this caught up on someone in a very long time, and he trusts you with his kid. He didn't even tell me he had a kid until this morning.", she added.

"Who do I have a crush on, and Mare, I didn't know if Dad had ever told you, okay?", the SEAL asked bravely has he opened his office door.

"No one, Steve, and I understand.", the blonde said, knowing perfectly well her brother had heard every word said since he had entered the bull-pen.

That night, after Ana had gone to bed, Steve told his partner and sister about his conversation with Catherine.

"My niece is not an _it_!", Mary shrieked as quietly as she could.

"Chin said the same thing on our way back to HQ after taking out Dawkins.", Steve mused.

"My angelfish is not an _it_. I told you, Steven, not to let that woman into your life again. She isn't worth putting Ana through all of the pain of knowing her mother is a cold bitch that doesn't seem to love her. Catherine Rollins wouldn't know how lucky she would be to be more than an egg-donor for Ana.", Danny growled out, and Mary couldn't help but agree.

"I know, Danno, I do. It's just, I don't want Ana to never know her mother. Even if she hates Catherine's guts completely, I'd still like her to know where she came from. Catherine just won't acknowledge her to allow that to happen. I know it's insane, but I just want it to work one of these days. On that note, how's Rachel?", Steve responded, and Danny scowled.

"She's partaking in her favorite past-time, pissing me off. I swear, she does it for fun. One of these days, she's going to need something from me, and I'll have half-a-mind to tell her no. The only way she gets anymore from me is if it pertains to Grace's well-being.", Danny insisted.

"Ah, she's being a bitch again. What now?", Steve asked, and Mary listened intently, eager to know her potential future-brother-in-law.

"Grace wants to be a cop when she grows up. To be specific, Grace wants to either work with us or do our job within the Five-0 Unit when she's older. We've inspired her, and now she wants to follow in our footsteps. Rachel doesn't like that; she doesn't think someone like Grace should do something so dangerous.", the blond man explained, smirking happily.

"What, girls can't be cops? Someone ought to tell Kono that.", Mary asked incredulously.

"No, Mary, _rich_ girls with snobby British mothers can't be cops. However, as Grace is my daughter as well, I say she can be whatever she wants to that requires a college degree or certification classes of some sort. She also didn't take to kindly to Grace calling her a liar.", he countered, and Steve laughed.

"She told Gracie she could be whatever she wanted to when she grew up, but then went back on her words when Gracie made a decision, right?", Steve asked through her laughter, and Danny nodded.

"Hole-in-One, my friend. What's wrong? You've got that look on your face you had when you told me about Catherine.", Danny said, and Steve frowned.

"What about Catherine?", Mary asked, eyebrow raised.

"I checked to see when the ship she's on would next be here. She'll be here on leave next week apparently; she sent me a text earlier in an attempt to apologize, but I told her she can't fix things this time.", Steve admitted, and the news garnered irate responses from both Mary and Danny.

"How stupid is this bitch?", Mary asked bluntly.

"She honestly thinks she deserves forgiveness?", Danny added, clearly no more impressed with Catherine than he was when Steve and Chin told Mary, Kono, and himself what the woman had said during Steve's phone call.

"Catherine is probably just hoping I'll accept her empty apology for sex. I took the idea of sex off the table before I mentioned Ana.", Steve admitted, and Danny sighed.

"And on that note, I'm headed to bed.", the blonde man said as he attempted to stand up on his own.

"Let me help you.", Steve sighed, and Danny felt a pair of strong arms lift him up before he could protest.

"Night, boys!", Mary called over her shoulder as she walked towards the master bedroom.

"Night!", Steve called back, while Danny made a noise which sounded like he agreed through the pain in his knee.

 **A/N: I am back, but who knows for how long! Within the last year, I have lost two grandmothers, had one grandfather go into the hospital from complications from an extremely rare form of cancer, started back at college, and had to deal with the strange urge I've been having to rewrite my series for** _ **The Mummy**_ **. I hope to update more frequently, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter despite my rather cold portrayal of Catherine, and yes, this story is headed in the direction of McDanno; no, I do not intend on making Catherine completely unlikeable, but it will start out that way; and yes, I will probably play up the dislikeable traits Rachel and Stan possess. I hope you will not mind this, and I hope you leave me lots of reviews! Thank you for reading!**


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